THE HOUSE I LIVE IN
At Home in America
by Isadore Seltzer & illustrated by Isadore Seltzer
Beginning with a Native American pueblo, a sampling of 12 homes that are as different as the eras, climates, and cultural heritages that produced them. An old stone Pennsylvania German farmhouse; one of San Francisco's Victorian ``Painted Ladies''; a small, pre-WW II fake Tudor in the Bronx; a pink stucco confection in L.A.; a houseboat, a trailer, and a fanciful contemporary beach house—all are among those described in an informative text that focuses on construction materials and techniques and how the architecture of each suits its special function. Seltzer's 3/4-spread illustrations are crisp and bright, enlivened with birds, pets, vehicles, and what seem to be retouched photos of kids from Montclair, N.J. pretending that these houses are theirs. An intriguing introduction to the extraordinary diversity of our domestic architecture. (Nonfiction. 7-11)