How a House Is Built

Gr 1–3—This informative production of Gail Gibbons's picture book provides simple, straightforward content about how a wood-frame house is built. It showcases several different kinds of homes, including those constructed from logs, stone, brick, glass, and cement blocks. Narrator Jon Bennett walks viewers through the process of building a wood-frame dwelling. Viewers see the architect drawing plans and all the different people the general contractor hires, including surveyors, carpenters, plumbers, masons, electricians, painters, and landscapers. As the story progresses, the workers each complete their specific tasks, and by the end, the house is finished in time for a young family to move in. One of the tale's strengths is that the illustrations feature both men and women working side by side at the construction site. Gibbons's vibrant watercolor illustrations include labels, so viewers learn key construction vocabulary: "form," "footing," "sill," "joist," "header," and "rafter." The narration is also complemented by upbeat background music and rumbling heavy equipment and pounding hammers.