Yoshio Komatsu

This fabulous picture-book survey of different types of houses, from around the world, profiles ten structures from ten countries, starting with a photograph by Yoshio Komatsu, and then proceeding to an illustrated peek at the interior, with artwork by Akira Nishiyama. From a felt-covered yurt in Mongolia, to the earthen castles of Togo, the houses in question are all built from natural materials, and are all clearly adaptations to the prevailing environmental circumstances of their respective regions. The Romanian house, with the "eyes" in its roof, is made all of wood - something that is easily explained by its location in the forests of the Maramures area. By contrast, the acorn-shaped houses of the Chipaya people of Bolivia are constructed from blocks cut from the local root-tangled earth - the only building material available on the wide plateau upon which they live.

A book that is both informative and entertaining - I found myself thinking that the Chinese tulou, a sort of circular apartment complex with nesting layers of buildings, was (in addition to being incredibly cool!) the perfect setting for a fantastic civilization or world - Wonderful Houses Around the World is a book I would recommend to young readers who are curious about the diverse peoples and cultures of the earth. I think my favorite, of the houses depicted, were the underground homes of Tunisia and Spain (perfect adaptations to extreme surface conditions!), and kept wishing for more information, about them and the other houses. A wonderful book about a wonderful subject, it has only one flaw: there isn't enough of it! Not enough houses, and not enough detail. I'm ready for the sequel...… (altro)

This is, I think, a very good book to educate elementary-age children about life (and architecture) in far-flung parts of the world. Each entry included photographs of the home, as well as a cross-section drawing and an explanation as to what each room was used for. (I was particularly intrigued by the home with a funnel-shaped roof, which was used to collect rainwater in its dry desert surroundings.) I am an adult, and I learned a lot from this book, but I think it would be quite easy for the six-to-eight crowd to understand and enjoy.… (altro)