This House, Once

Tender, comforting, and complex. -Kirkus Reviews (starred review)

Drawn with exquisite precision and quiet dashes of humor. -Publishers Weekly (starred review)

A lovely, ruminative selection. -School Library Journal (starred review)

A blueprint for mindfulness and gratitude for the homes in which we…live. -The New York Times Book Review

Deborah Freedman’s masterful new picture book is at once an introduction to the pieces of a house, a cozy story to share and explore, and a dreamy meditation on the magic of our homes and our world.

Before there was this house,
there were stones,
and mud,
and a colossal oak tree-
three hugs around
and as high as the blue.

What was your home, once?

This poetically simple, thought-provoking, and gorgeously illustrated book invites readers to think about where things come from and what nature provides.