Juvenile Nonfiction
WISE Score
A digger-obsessed toddler's step-by-step look at turning an old brick factory into new apartments.
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If your kid stops cold on the sidewalk whenever a backhoe starts digging, Building a Home will land straight in your bedtime rotation.
Instead of another generic story about trucks making noise, author Polly Faber and illustrator Klas Fahlén walk readers through the real process of architectural renovation: converting a crumbling, abandoned factory into bright new apartments. It gives toddlers concrete details about cranes, cement mixers, and trade work without bogging down the pace.
Best for ages 2 to 6. Works great for toddlers obsessed with heavy equipment and preschoolers curious about how things are made.
Shows a collaborative team of construction workers and tradespeople working together to turn a derelict factory into housing.
Encourages young kids to look at old or abandoned buildings and imagine how they can be redesigned and repurposed.
A gentle picture book with no scary moments, conflict, or inappropriate content.
Offers an accurate, step-by-step look at architecture, machinery, trade professions, and adaptive urban reuse.
Most construction books for toddlers stick to a predictable routine: trucks arrive, move dirt, make engine noises, and go to sleep. Building a Home stands out because it treats young readers like people who actually want to know how buildings get repurposed.
Klas Fahlén’s bright, clean artwork breaks down urban renovation step-by-step. Kids see workers clearing out the hollow factory shell, cranes lifting heavy materials, plumbers and electricians setting up utilities, and painters finishing the rooms before residents move their furniture in.
It is short enough for bedtime reading while offering enough specific terminology and visual details to make sidewalk construction sites much more interesting on your morning walks.
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