This House Is Made of Mud / Esta casa esta hecha de lodo

by Ken Buchanan

Chosen by Arizona Governor Janet Napolitano as a gift to every first rader in the state, this story describes the beauty of the Sonoran Desert and a family whose lives are intertwined with the environment and the home they make from adobe.

Genres: Childrens, Spanish Literature, Picture Books

32 pages, Hardcover

First published June 1, 1990

Reviews

[Beth · Rating 5 out of 5]

Such a gorgeous book! I almost want to frame every picture in this one! Stunning watercolors.
It's a nice english/spanish story about life in the desert in a traditional home. Read to my son for Spanish practice.

[Bridget · Rating 4 out of 5]

This House is Made of Mud is a poetic bilingual book (English and Spanish) with vibrant and breathtaking watercolor pictures. When Janet Napolitano was Governor of Arizona, the book was given as a gift to every first grader in the state. The story describes the splendor of the Sonoran Desert and a family whose home, culture, and lifestyle are in communion with the desert ecosystem.

I liked the book because it has spectacular artwork and the writing is simple, yet lyrical. It’s a good beginner book for anyone learning Spanish or English.

I would recommend this book to young readers from preschool to 1st grade. The visuals are closely tied in with the text and aid in language development.

[Rick Bavera · Rating 4 out of 5]

The book is set in the desert of the southwest USA, and looks at all the creatures that the family shares the desert with.

Although there is something of a "New Age" feel to the text, the illustrations are excellent. Tells a good story. This book would be good to help kids learn about dwellings, deserts and/or "other cultures".

[Crystal · Rating 5 out of 5]

The water color illustrations are vibrant yet somehow soothing, the text flows like poetry. It's a simple book without any plot to speak of and yet I've never tired of reading it. I read it over and over again as a babysitter and I've read it many times to my own children. I love this book!

[Rana · Rating 5 out of 5]

This House is Made of Mud is a bilingual book of poetry about a home in the desert and all the things that make that house home to the narrator. The artwork within the text is simply beautiful and the poetry itself is very lovely and descriptive of a beautiful, but simple home.

[Helen Pugsley · Rating 5 out of 5]

It reminds me a lot of my house.😅 People thought I was weird for letting a pregnant spider live with me and posting updates about her on Facebook.
The colors are pretty, the Illustrations are beautiful, nice book!

[Cws]

JERR-Buc delightful story in spanish and english

[Samra · Rating 5 out of 5]

a beautiful watercolor book that explores the Sonoran Desert

[Christine Turner]

This story describes the beauty of the Sonoran Desert and a family whose lives are intertwined with the environment and the home they make from adobe the Southwest desert

[Chandra Jordan · Rating 5 out of 5]

A beautiful book both in illustration and prose.

[Janine Darragh · Rating 3 out of 5]

A bilingual book with beautiful water color illustrations that show the beauty of the Sonoran Desert.