Boxitects

Kim Smith. Boston: Clarion Books, 2020.

This fictional title tells the story of a creative young girl who makes all types of structures out of boxes. She goes to Maker school, a school for talented young makers, and learns a lot of new things to become a better boxitect. A new student arrives and a rivalry forms between them. But after a failed attempt at working individually, the two ban together to create something new and learn how to work. Similar to how the Architecture Playshop encourages collaborative work, the book shows how great results can be achieved through teamwork. 

Our House is Round 

Yolanda Kondonassis and Joan Brush. New York: Sky Pony Press, 2010.

This non-fiction book could be used as an excellent educational tool for children to learn more about diverse environmental issues. There are many topics discussed in the book, such as: the origin of greenhouse gases and their impact on global warming; industrial pollution of the Earth’s air and waters; and the natural resources we use to produce the energy that powers cities and deforestation. The book promotes the use of less energy, recycling and the planting of trees to filter the air. The final pages of the book list some ways that children can help fight climate change.

Where do I live?

Neil Chesanow and Ann Iosa. New York: Peterson's, 1995.

This picture book is an engaging introduction to our built environment. Starting from a child’s bedroom, the book offers the reader the chance to travel outside as it gives a gradually expanded view of the house’s surroundings. This book gives children a brief overview of the world and encourages them to explore their neighborhoods to further understand where they live and their surroundings. It can be an introduction to teaching location to younger children and it can give them a sense of how vast the world is.