An unconventional, fancifully illustrated Spanish import picture book explores resilience and the cycle of life through one house, which is constructed, occupied, and abandoned, only to be reclaimed by nature.
"The house was built in the summer, and even the heat rested in its shade." A family moves in and the house is happy. They plant a garden, pick fruit from the trees, and find shelter from the weather. The two light-brown-skinned, curly-haired children romp gleefully in the yard and wrestle with their dog. Love and warmth emanate from the house. "The family looked after the house. And the house looked after the family." One stormy night, though, the roof is struck by lightning, and the family must move away. The house is sentient enough to wonder what will become of it with no one there. And what will "stop strangers from wandering in"?
Strangers do wander in, but it might not be the disaster the house anticipates. Ants march across the pretty tiles, a cow peeks in, a rabbit nibbles on a radish under the table. Trees sprout through the floor and then through the roof. The house merges into nature, becoming "just another living thing." Eventually, it discovers that it still has work to do as a shelter, and that it "never stopped being a house."
With minimal words, author/musician/puppeteer Alberto Martín, also known as NiñoCactus, crafts a touching story that exudes the comfort of a home well loved by all living things. Translator Jon Brokenbrow melodically translates NiñoCactus's words: "The wind, still smelling of smoke, called it a ruin, and the house fell silent." Celia Sacido's pleasing illustrations occasionally use a naïve style while relying primarily on simple line drawings and elaborately detailed mixed-media artwork. Sacido (The Walk) captures both the lushness and the starkness of life: the inhabited house is riotous with color until a scribble of wind transitions the house to the lonely days following the abandonment. The pages that follow are almost bare except for snowflakes, a few birds, and leafless trees. Gradually, soft muted tones take over, with occasional pops of bright pink and teal to reflect the splendor of nature as the animals settle into their home. The House is a vibrant and encouraging picture book that is likely to transfix readers of all ages. --Emilie Coulter, freelance writer and editor
Shelf Talker: The natural rhythms of the living world surprise and reassure in this beguilingly illustrated, out-of-the-ordinary picture book, translated from Spanish.