How a House Is Built

by Gail Gibbons

From the architect's plans to the landscaping.

Genres: Picture Books, Nonfiction, Childrens, Construction, Science, Architecture, Mathematics

30 pages, Hardcover

First published September 1, 1990

About the author

From gailgibbons.com: I was born in Oak Park, Illinois, in 1944. Even as a little child, I was always busy putting books together. Sometimes I would bind them with yarn to hold the pages together. I've always loved drawing and painting. I was also a very curious child. My parents tell me that I was always asking lots and lots of questions.

Later, I went on to the University of Illinois, where I studied graphic design. Then I moved to New York City, where I got a job doing artwork for television shows. Eventually I was asked to do the artwork for a children's show. While doing that show, some of the children asked me if I had ever thought of doing children's books. My mind immediately recalled how much I enjoyed doing that type of thing when I was a child. So I put an idea for a book together and right away a publisher bought it. That book was called Willy and His Wheel Wagon. Since then, over 170 books that I have written and illustrated have been published. The type of books I write are non-fiction books. This is because I love researching so much. I get to ask lots of questions, just like when I was a kid. I also get to travel and meet lots of interesting people. While doing research for my book Nature's Green Umbrella: Tropical Rain Forests, I traveled to two islands where there are tropical rain forests, Saba and Dominica. I also had a great time writing and illustrating the book. I get a lot of pleasure from doing the type of work I do.

Reviews

[Kaylin (The Re-Read Queen) · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is so DETAILED and doesn’t water anything down for the kiddos. It’s every step of building a wood-framed house from hiring a general contractor to placing sheetrock to running electrical wires to move in day.

(Frankly, it bores me to tears, but Small-Fry adores it. He’s either going to take over the world one day or be an engineer)

[B · Rating 5 out of 5]

why did it take us so long to find this at the library? it's awesome!
(and we're nerds... but apparently so is L, he's was using it page by page as his building handbook with a stack of blocks the other day)

[Lisa · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book was intensely boring, but also informative!

[Elizabeth Parker]

How a House Is Built
Gibbons, G. (2005). How a House Is Built. Holiday House.

Genre and Format: Picture book; informational nonfiction.

How a House Is Built explains the step-by-step process of constructing a house, from planning and laying the foundation to finishing touches and inspections. The book introduces young readers to architecture, engineering, and construction, helping them understand how everyday structures are designed and built.

Format and Illustrations: The book features detailed, labeled illustrations and diagrams showing each stage of construction. Clear, concise text paired with visual storytelling makes complex building processes accessible to early elementary students.

Content Area / Curriculum Tie-Ins:
- Science: Engineering, materials, construction processes, problem-solving
- ELA: Informational text, sequencing, cause and effect, vocabulary development
- Social Studies: Community roles, professions, urban planning
- Writing: “All About” books, process writing, step-by-step instructions
- STEM: Engineering concepts, measurement, observation, design thinking
- Social-Emotional Learning: Patience, perseverance, teamwork

[Aubry · Rating 5 out of 5]

Plot: This book shows all of the different people who work on building houses as well as the step by step on building a house.
Illustrations: I love that they labeled all of the illustrations because the students can identify who is who and what is what.
Personal Reaction: I think this is a great book for children because I remember being a child and not knowing how anything works and thinking it was magical or super crazy, but a book like this with steps that are easy to follow for a child is so helpful.
Curriculum Connection: I would connect this book with careers. I would have the students discuss all of the different careers that are avaliable.
TEKS: 1.10(A)(B) Economics. The student understands the value of work. The student is expected to:
(A) describe the components of various jobs and the characteristics of a job well performed;
(B) describe how specialized jobs contribute to the production of goods and services.

[Diana · Rating 4 out of 5]

Honesty time here. I had no idea how a house is actually built. So, yeah. This was an educational book for me! And with hubby and I thinking about having a house built, it's a perfect time for me to have read this! It's a simple book, but it does a wonderful job of covering all the basics. Not the most exciting read, so probably not the best for a read-aloud, but it's an excellent choice for kids (or adults!) who want an introduction to house-building. One thing to note: this is clearly a home out in the country. Not only are there no other homes in site, but they talk about putting in a septic system, which would not apply in my heavily urban area. Not a fault at all, just an observation.

[CassattintheHat · Rating 5 out of 5]

Published in 1990, this book talks about and illustrates how a suburban 2 story US house is built. It includes all the people involved in making a house a reality, from the architect, to the construction workers, to the electricians and plumbers. The illustrations show professionals building the house are both men and women. It doesn't show a lot of racial diversity among the people.

At the very end of the book are illustrations of other dwellings used in history, around the world.
At the beginning it mentions that people live in different types of houses, then focuses on one style of house to dive into.

[Abby Beyer · Rating 4 out of 5]

1. Awards (None)
2. Grade Levels- K-3
3. Summary- This book is an informative explanation of how a house is planned and built. It includes preparation of the site, building a foundation, and constructing walls, roof, and all interior building materials.
4. Review- This book is very detailed yet simple for children to understand. The language is very basic and provides easy illustrations of the steps involved in building a house.
5. In class uses- shelters, building materials, construction, trucks

[Erin Buhr · Rating 4 out of 5]

In her characteristically straightforward manner, Gail Gibbons shares how houses are built. She starts by giving an overview of the different kinds of homes, but quickly moves on to walking step by step through the process of building a house. It's not flowery or lyrical. It is clear. It is direct. For the kid who loves building and wants all the facts step by step this is perfect. If you've enjoyed other books in the EXPLORE THE WORLD WITH GAIL GIBBONS series than this is precisely what you'll expect. It is a quality introduction to building a wood frame house.

[Juliana Gutierrez · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is very much an easy read for students, but it is very insightful for students and reaches a wide audience because of the inclusion by the author of the different types of houses we can see. This book is insightful in how to build a wooden house and the process that the builder, architect, and contractor might do for the house. It goes into detail into the process of the foundation of the house and how everything is started out in being a house.
Notes: Geometry, building a house, introduction to a topic, applying knowledge into the real world

[Kayla · Rating 3 out of 5]

I don’t believe that I would read this out loud to the class. It’s rather long and would probably lose some interest in a few students. However, I could keep this for those students that struggle to read but like to build things. I could also read a few pages out of the book to the class and then do an activity where they draw their own houses. I also really like the end of the book where it goes over houses from the past.

[Ana Gonzalez · Rating 4 out of 5]

I thought this book would really be great to read aloud to a class. You would
definitely want to give the class background information to get them excited for this book
though. I can see students being easily confused or bored by this if it isn’t presented in the
correct manner.

[Jo Oehrlein · Rating 3 out of 5]

The building of a wood-frame house with a basement, clapboard sides, a septic tank, and a well.

[Lia Smith · Rating 5 out of 5]

Informative, Orderly concept, Construction, Architect

[Karin · Rating 3 out of 5]

This one included real info that wasn't watered down. Unfortunately, it lost both my kids attention. Pictures were great.

[Katelynne · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a great standard informational text with steps and labels.

[Cathy · Rating 5 out of 5]

I received a review copy from Edelweiss. Thank you!

[Robin · Rating 2 out of 5]

Factual progression of a house being built. Nicely illustrated. The text is a bit difficult for a primary grade reader.

[Alison · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is not a one day read aloud. There is a lot to take in. Lots of detail and new vocabulary.

[Sushie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Exactly what it says on the cover. Very detailed, too detailed for a storytime setting for sure, but excellent for a wide range of kids who want to know about how wood-frame houses are built.

[Sarah Beaver]

informative, workers, and construction

[Reader · Rating 3 out of 5]

For Goodreads Repository
Nonfiction

[Shayla Satchell · Rating 2 out of 5]

child book on how to build a house and the people involved

[Theo · Rating 2 out of 5]

Educational but *so* boring to read.

[Helena Akuany · Rating 5 out of 5]

An informative and well-illustrated book that breaks down the construction process in an engaging and easy-to-understand way.

[Courtney · Rating 2 out of 5]

Gibbons, G. How a House Is Built. New York: Scholastic Inc (1990).

This picture book is a non-fiction book for children. It explains to children how to build a house and introduces may different vocabulary words of the tools that are used to build a house.

The reading level is ages 3-7, but a younger student might not have as much interest in the book as an older student would. This picture book can be a useful tool to have sitting out in preschool classrooms if setting out a play area where children can pretend to be construction workers.

[Chantia Singleton]

Books in the block area? Yes please! After discussing how imperative it is to integrate literacy instruction into other areas of the classroom, other than the library, I was elated to include this as a precursor to building our own block house. For an older group of children I would have them label the parts with the assistance of a word word. We could discuss how important it is for each part of the house to be in tact and for each person to play their role & follow up building a classroom house out of popsicle sticks and other materials.

[Lindsey · Rating 5 out of 5]

My kids loved this book and begged me not to return it to the library. It has nice illustrations and simply describes the process of building a house from the ground up. I have found that my children really enjoy learning about the world and how things work; even things that may seem boring to and adult really fascinate them.

[Tricia · Rating 3 out of 5]

When a preschooler asks for a book about how a house it built, this title delivers. Describes all steps of the house-building process from hiring the contractor, laying the foundation, raising the walls to landscaping.

[Lara · Rating 5 out of 5]

A very simple book to learn the basics of house building for young kids. Includes all the key figures in the process, great!