We Build Our Homes: Small Stories of Incredible Animal Architects Hardcover – October 16, 2018

Excellent illustrations and facts are written well. It doesn’t sound like a dry textbook.

My kids love it!

This incredible non-fiction book will mesmerize both young and old readers. It highlights birds, insects, and mammals from around the world and profiles their extraordinary architectural skills. It truly is fascinating as all these scenarios are true.Knowles chooses interesting unique subjects and their lifestyle is told from the animal's perspective. She includes interesting and educational details of how, where and why these animals build their homes. The illustrations are colourful and beautifully executed bringing their habitats to life.The author includes twenty-six builders ( including humans ). She clearly explains how these innovative creatures create homes that meet their specific needs from resources that are available to them in the wild.Among the amazing builders you’ll meet:Ovenbirds, who carry clumps of mud up into the trees to make their nestDarwin’s bark spiders, who build webs stretching out as far as three buses, end-to-endMoles, who use their spade-like paws to dig extensive networks of tunnels with nesting spaces and storerooms where they keep earthworms to snack on laterPolar bear mothers, who make their dens under the snow to stay in for five long months, nursing their cubs and eating nothing themselvesThe book also includes a useful map of the world, and a Builders’ Fact File. It is sure to encourage kids to delve deeper and find out more about the captivating animals that live in our world. It is perfect to include in a classroom or an elementary school library. Kids will love it. I highly recommend "We Build Our Homes".

This is an amazing book about Animal Architects, habitats and various reasons that animal homes are the way they are. This is a non-fiction book full of wonderful illustrations and information that should get children talking about different things. I read (or tried to read) this book to my five year old grandson and he was too young. There is a lot of text and he didn't want to listen to it all. He was fascinated with the illustrations and asked me questions that I answered based on the text. There are 26 different animals, including many you might not have heard of before. There are a lot of birds with amazing nests, then it moves on to insects and mammals.We Build Our Homes is about animals' creativity and architectural skills that could be used in a classroom to discuss buildings, as well as habitats and animal environments. I could see this book in a late primary to early junior classroom. As an adult, I even learned some new things. A great addition to a public or school library. The publisher generously provided me with a copy of this book upon request. The rating, ideas and opinions shared are my own.

"We Build Our Homes" is a wonderful picture book about animals' habitats. Twenty six animals along with their homes are being introduced here. I enjoy the beautiful illustrations, and is fun to read aloud because text is written in poetic prose. This is an educational non-fiction for children of all ages. Younger children could simply learn the names of the animals and homes associated with them whereas older children, if they're interested, could read the text for more information.What a wonderful children book about nature. And I appreciate how the author reminds us the importance of loving and sharing this world we called "home" with many other animals which come in different forms and sizes.

This is a delightful book which vividly portrays the lives of various creatures that make nests, dens or other homes. Birds start us off with weaverbirds, bowerbirds, swifts, then on to less attractive creatures like ants, termites, spiders, before meeting mammals and reptiles. I enjoyed every double-page spread drawing, which carries a few lines of writing and excellent detail. The writer has really thought about how to shrink information and still convey it well, while added details include the place where the animal lives, or its food, or its predators.At the back we find a map of the world and each animal featured gets a little fact file so readers can place it on the map and get used to geography. This is a really colourful and attractive book which is excellent for young readers and anyone keen on fascinating nature.I downloaded a copy from Net Galley. This is an unbiased review.

A lyrical look at animals, insects, and others (including humans) who build unique and often unusual homes for themselves and their families. Author Laura Knowles offers clear and fact-filled glimpses of 26 interesting builders from around the world, all clever architects who build to meet their exact needs, often using nearby resources. Chris Madden's lovely illustrations also help readers understand each creature's story while highlighting each home's coziness.

This book is well written and extremely well illustrated. This is a must for parents and teachers alike to educate young children.