Bear Builds a House

K-Gr 3–The friendly, casually dressed bear from Bear Goes Sugaring wants to build a house in the mountains. The house requires a foundation, blueprints, plumbing, a frame, and a roof. Bear will need the help of a lot of friends, such as Woodchuck, the foundation expert, to complete this project before winter. In pastel-colored cartoon drawings, Eaton takes on the task of explaining house-building to a young audience. Meticulously planned-out illustrations detail each step of the process. For example, three panels display the different foundation choices Bear can make. Though not exhaustive, Eaton incorporates aspects of sustainable building practices. Bear’s water will come from a natural spring, flow downhill into the house, and exit to a leach field. Trees cleared for sunlight are lumber. Electricity, stored in batteries, is collected from solar panels. This book invites kids into the process and answers their questions with detailed knowledge and vocabulary. Eaton does this with a tremendous number of facts that never overwhelm readers. While the text will stimulate older elementary students, the anthropomorphic characters may be for a younger reader. Aim this at precocious five-year-olds who won’t mind talking forest creatures.