waterviolite's review
3.0
Stumbling on a deserted house, the characters wonder who used to live there. This book is sweet, but I found the sponge-painted illustrations to overwhelm the words at the beginning and end of the story. I feel it would make more sense if the sponge-painted illustrations were used to represent the children's imagination and the more realistic style from the middle to the story was used to show what was really happening in the outside world.
nicktomjoe's review
5.0
Two children explore an empty house and speculate on its past inhabitants. A lilting text and beautiful, spare colours make this a book to treasure, to return to and savour: child and adult readers alike will find things to ponder in these lost lives and in the eager faces of the two young explorers.
froydis's review
5.0
This is quite poignant! Parents will get the symbolism, and kids will enjoy the adventure. We've all wondered "who lives in that house?" This book addresses that curiosity with a lilting, catchy rhyme kids will enjoy. This is another great story time book!
shighley's review
4.0
Lyrical writing and illustrations that would be interesting to ask students about: how would you try to create them, and why are they different from the imagined ones? I guess I was hoping for more answers, but maybe that's the point: we'll never know.
missprint_'s review
5.0
Gorgeous. I love that Smith's artwork is always changing and evolving. Fogliano's text is beautiful and lilting. The opening and closing pages reminded me of a villanelle or Annabelle Lee. Lovely all around.
kwbat12's review
4.0
So interesting as a picture book for olders. There's a tone that reads older as these kids discover an adandoned house.
alysona's review
4.0
So I was a little worried about the kids exploring a vacant house and bringing home an old tin can (Tetanus, people!) but I loved the idea of thinking about who lived there and what they were doing. Great illustraions.