How Does My Home Work?

by Chris Butterworth, Lucia Gaggiotti (Illustrator)

Overview

The inner workings of a home are laid out for kids in fun, retro illustrations jam-packed with the technology behind everyday life.

How does flipping a switch on the wall make the lights come on? Where does the clean water that flows out of the faucet come from? What is used to keep a home warm? Travel beyond the walls and under the floors of a house to find out more about the electricity, water, and natural gas that make your home work — and find out how you can do your part to save energy and preserve these resources.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781536215946
Publisher:	Candlewick Press
Publication date:	09/01/2020
Series:	Exploring the Everyday Series
Pages:	32
Sales rank:	1,027,779
Product dimensions:	8.30(w) x 10.20(h) x 0.20(d)
Age Range:	5 - 8 Years

About the Author

Chris Butterworth is the author of many nonfiction titles for young readers, including See What a Seal Can Do and Sea Horse: The Shyest Fish in the Sea. She lives in Cornwall, England.

Lucia Gaggiotti is a graphic designer and artist and the illustrator of How Did That Get in My Lunchbox? and Where Did My Clothes Come From?, both written by Chris Butterworth. Lucia Gaggiotti lives in London.

Editorial Reviews

Butterworth and Gaggiotti (Where Did My Clothes Come From? 2015) team up for another informational picture book, this time exploring the inner workings of a single-family house...the engaging combination of text and illustration is sure to appeal to curious readers. A darling introduction to the engineered amenities that help make a house a home.
—Kirkus Reviews

Gaggiotti’s lively, retro-style illustrations aptly complement Butterworth’s educational narrative. The book closes with examples of ways kids can actively do their part to save energy. An ideal book for inquisitive minds.
—Booklist

Butterworth packs a great deal of information into an inviting format...this work presents a great way to assist little ones in understanding the larger world. A recommended purchase for individual sharing that is also a great opener for group lessons on everyday technology.
—School Library Journal

From the Publisher

11/01/2017
K-Gr 3—Butterworth packs a great deal of information into an inviting format. The text and illustrations connect everyday activities to the infrastructure that makes them possible (how electricity is directed to homes to power appliances and gadgets). Every page is full of fascinating details and charts that depict the processes. Children will enjoy identifying the machines and gizmos at the front and back of the book. The cartoonish characters include a variety of ages and ethnic backgrounds, especially in the more domestic scenes. However, those depicted in the workforce are nearly all male. The authors include a page of tips for saving energy and a few sidebars focused on renewable alternatives. Overall, this work presents a great way to assist little ones in understanding the larger world. VERDICT A recommended purchase for individual sharing that is also a great opener for group lessons on everyday technology.—Theresa Muraski, University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point Library

School Library Journal

2017-09-18
Butterworth and Gaggiotti (Where Did My Clothes Come From? 2015) team up for another informational picture book, this time exploring the inner workings of a single-family house.A multigenerational household of mixed ethnicity takes center stage as the text explores the engineering marvels that provide the creature comforts readers might often take for granted. Gaggiotti's charming mixed-media illustrations, which have a vintage vibe reminiscent of Mary Blair, add brightness to the technical descriptions. Simple explanations of power generation (including coal- and gas-burning power plants and nuclear generation as well as renewables hydro, wind, and solar), waste-water treatment, and natural-gas processing introduce complex civil-engineering topics to young audiences. In concluding pages, diverse children suggest ways readers might conserve the resources highlighted in the text. At times, the simplicity may obfuscate the facts, however, as when the flow of electricity is depicted as moving in one direction rather than as a circuit. Although the focus is on one two-story domicile, illustrations include both city and suburban views; there is no attempt to represent regionally or culturally specific architecture. Nevertheless, the engaging combination of text and illustration is sure to appeal to curious readers.A darling introduction to the engineered amenities that help make a house a home. (author's note, illustrator's note, index) (Informational picture book. 6-9)

Kirkus Reviews