If I Built a House by Chris Van Dusen

While gazing at his house, Jack imagines if he designed his own house. He has elaborate inventions, like his “all-in-one Kitchen-o-Mat” that does all of the cooking and cleaning, and his version of a shower the “Scrub-a-Dub-Dub” which uses a conveyor belt and robotic brushes to ensure you are clean.

Jack also invents new rooms for his house, like an anti-gravity room, a racetrack room, and a fish tank room. His house quite the house to behold!

“If I Built a House” is an imaginative, creative, and fun picture book. Jack’s ideas are quite extravagant but that’s the fun in imagining. Also, if the “Kitchen-o-Mat” ever gets built, I will be the first in line. Chris Van Dusen’s “squeaky clean” illustration style is a perfect compliment to his bouncy, rhyming text. He may be possibly be our modern Dr. Seuss. My children love this book and it usually starts a creative reaction: drawing a house they would design, building with Legos, or making a fort. What a fun way to spark imagination!

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1. What things did you like about Jack’s house?
2. Which things could be made, in real life?
3. What things would you do differently, if you built your own house?
4. What are your favorite parts of your real home?