Alone in a Field
Standing alone in a field there is a house. A lovely little house surrounded by fields and blue skies. In The House Next Door by Claudine Crangle this little house begins to see changes, changes the house is not fond of so it closes it’s shutters to the world. When the house decides to take a peek outside again, it's surprised by what it sees.
This charming book is a subtle examination of the effects of urban sprawl but also a reminder to open our windows to new experiences and new ideas. Readers will notice that the house is afraid, afraid of changes so it closes itself off. In doing so it misses the breeze and the snowdrifts. When the warm sun begins to shine down, the house feels a little bit brave and begins to open itself up again. The little house reminds readers that we all need to be a little bit brave in the face of big change. Readers have experienced so many big changes over the last 18 months and The House Next Door can provide some comfort.
What sets this book apart is the darling illustrations. Photos of the cutest little houses all build in diorama form out of cardboard and other found materials. Claudine Crangle has delightfully found another way to show children how we can be responsible earth protectors through her art. When we can reuse materials we are doing a small part to help with the effects of climate change. The House Next Door is an amazing book to use as inspiration for a big project and would incorporate all kinds of learning: environmentalism, science, math, art, etc. What a wonderful way to bring a class or a group of children together.
The House Next Door really reminds me of the place I grew up. Outside of Ottawa there were farm fields everywhere you looked when I was young. As I got older and the fields began to be sold to developers we began to see the same things the little house does in the story. I would always wonder about the old farm houses, how they stood up to the sprawl, sometimes looking quite out of place and always feeling a bit of a connection to these places, staying rooted to their spot no matter what was happening around them.
