Houses of the Past, Present, and Future

* Reviews *

This title is deceptive, because the book is not a description of houses. It does begin by stating that houses of the present are larger with more rooms than houses of the past. Following this, there are two pages about bathrooms, showing that houses of the past did not have indoor plumbing as they do now, but between the house and the bathroom of the house, the book describes appliances—not houses. Also, after the bathroom, the author presents even more appliances. I would have titled this book Households of the Past, Present and Future or Lifestyles of the Past, Present and Future. A title featuring “household appliances” would not be correct either, since Bozzo includes a section on groceries and clothes, too. The book does, however, do what the other books of the series “Imagining the Future” do; it presents a very short history of its topic, along with a photograph. That is followed with a description of present day use and another photograph. What will probably interest children the most is the imaginary future, illustrated by Tom La Baff in a cartoonish manner. Readers will enjoy talking, drawing or writing about what they think the future will be like—for houses, appliances, clothes and more. A glossary at the back of the book explains unfamiliar words. A list of books and web sites is also included for future study. However, if you are looking for a book to show homes people lived in and how they have changed, this book does is not a good selection., Children's Literature