Very empowering story for little girls (especially). It shows that a girl can do all things to build a house. The message is awesome. The illustrations are simple but cool.

An interesting success, for several reasons. Basically it's a quick, list-based text about the many people who build a house as part of a collaboration – but here, as in the true-life example this is based on, each and every person is female. So from the roofer to the concrete pourer for the foundations, and from the office-bound wheelchair user to the sprightliest landscape gardener, we see the most blunt, matter of fact statement that this is the house SHE built. This was working for me as a brief guide to the multiple careers in the house-building trade, before I knew it was produced in honour of a building where every task was completed by females – making this strong stuff indeed. Certainly a strong four stars, if not more.

This is such a great book to show women and girls are capable of anything. I wanted to read it as I'm a Girl Scout leader and this connects perfectly to some of the things we are learning. I cannot wait to share the story with my girls. I loved the illustrations throughout the book!

This is a typical book about construction. What makes it unique is every job is done by a woman. And “this is a house that she built” is the constant reframe. Each page focuses on a different aspect of building a house: what the job is, what they do, and it emphasizes that this can be a woman, of any race creed, color, or ability. Overall, this is a fabulous book for the entry into construction and building that will appeal to both boys and girls.

Such a great children's book. The House That She Built, by Mollie Elkman, showcases the many jobs it takes to build a new house (and that women can do all of them!). The illustrations were great and showcased a lot of diversity amongst the women. Even better that there is a real "The House That She Built" built by women!

Loved the educational view into the construction of a home, and the woman forward thinking! I tested this book out on my 3 year old who loves all things construction. He absolutely loved it and requested it more than once.

This is a simple story for young children that introduces the many jobs that it takes to build a house. It gives kids the message that women can hold these traditional male occupations without being "preachy". The repeating pattern makes it easy to memorize for a pre-reader, whild still introducing vocabulary.

As an Electrical Engineer in the construction field, I am filled with so many emotions while reading this book. I am so proud of my career, and I get so excited when I see other women in construction. This book brought me immense joy from the descriptions of the different professions to the pictures of women of all kinds. Women can be anything they want to be, and I love that this book shows showcases professions women aren't typically known for having. I can't wait to buy a copy for my nieces.

I’m always drawn to books that are educational but yet encouraging as well. This is a book my daughter can pick up and not only learn about what it takes to build a home; but also be able to see herself as any of the women represented. The pictures are beautiful. I will be purchasing a physical copy for our home library as well as encouraging our library to purchase a copy as well!

Thank you to the publisher and to NetGalley for the eARC! First, I just love that women are featured as each important worker needed to build a house- girls can do anything and its important for that to be represented! A good spin on classic construction books. The pictures are very basic, not too overwhelming. Any construction loving kid will enjoy this book and seeing all the jobs needed to build a house!

A simple read with lovely, clean illustrations and structure. Too young for my crew but they certainly didn’t notice. This would be a perfect gift for toddlers deeply invested in the world of construction. As a parent, I was pretty thrilled with the representation being intentional and named rather than just tokenization. (And fwiw, I actually learned about what a few jobs are called!) Really well done, and we loved it.

This is a great addition to any library or home! I love how it shows the process of building a house, as well as all of the work that is involved. It would be great for career education for anyone who is interested in construction! This would be great for a family to read too, especially if they are in the process of building a home, so that their children understand what is happening during the process. Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for allowing me to read a ARC version of this book.

This book is great representation of women in construction. Showing all the people it takes to build a house.

I absolutely adored this book.
5/5
Happiest of happiness reading it.

Honestly - my little girl is only 2 - but I want to encourage and inspire her that she can step outside the "norm" of roles.
Forever hearing - she isn't dressed like a girl, doesn't act like a girl and isn't as bubbly as girls are.

We need to stop that attitude and books like this are so inspring. They show her she can aspire to be whatever she wants to be and there isn't gender stereotyping in this house.

I cannot wait to read this to her tomorrow.

I'm sure she will love the pictures too - thanks for giving this book to us!

Overall, I probably would recommend the book. I really feel, however, that the book could have been significantly improved with a couple of tweaks here and there. An outside pair of eyes or a more ciritcal lense to the book would have really strengthened it.

General points:
1. Nice enough illustrations although a rather minimalist style. Not much too look at and with the text being so simple, the illustrations should have been more engaging.
2. Lovely to see the diversity and women of different ages and skin colors. However, shoving a person in a wheelchair and ticking off the disability representation is getting a little old. Surely, there is a more creative way to show disability representation - as there are many different forms of mobility in the world... But props for it being there and simply being part of the story and not THE story.
3. It VERY quickly became tiresome with the constant repetition of "This is the house that she built" on every. single. page. That was not necessary and really takes away from the value of the book. We get it. You dont have to shove it down our throat. Towards the end, when the book talks about all of the characters, having build the house, writing "This is the house that THEY made", would also have made more sense - especially if you are to keep the constant repetition. It breaks the constant cycle and predictability.

2.5/5

This is such a clever and innovative way to highlight the different skills/roles that are involved in building a house. By using a cast of diverse individuals it shows that the possibilities are endless in what you could become.

What an inspiring way to encourage young girls to become interested in what are usually male dominated areas in construction. It also highlighted the importance of working as a team and how the house couldn’t have been built without everyone’s input.

My daughter is going to love this one. I loved how inclusive this book was— showcasing women with disabilities and women of color. It was also informative and had beautiful illustrations,

This is the House that She Built is a simple and interesting story which educates young readers and their parents about careers in construction.

I thought the author did a wonderful job in capturing the complexity of the many roles which are needed to build a house in a simple and accessible way for children. The illustrations were vibrant and bold and really brought the story to life. I loved the diverse representation of the characters, and the way their emotional experience was portrayed. There was a strong sense of pride throughout, which I think will be really inspiring for young readers.

Most of all, I loved the blurb at the back, detailing the real life project the book is based on. With women being so underrepresented in the construction industry, I think it’s so special that the authors have taken the time to share their achievement to motivate and educate children about these careers.

Thank you NAHB BuilderBooks, and NetGalley for a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed are my own.

This is such an amazing book about women being recognized in different trades! I also love that it's actually based on a true story which is totally awesome. And the representation within the women is amazing as well!

What a great book!! I love that it highlights women in trade fields but also the diversity among the women featured. The illustrations are beautiful. It gives simple definitions of each job involved in building a house, highlighting some of the lesser talked about ones. I'm glad to see books like this that give kids a variety of careers available to them. I think this would interest even older children or young adults that are wondering about their careers.