How Does My Home Work?

The clever title of this book caught my eye, it's part of a series that also covers how we get the food in our lunch boxes and where your clothes come from. Although it begins in quite a simple way, looking at the 'magic' of water from taps, cold drinks from the fridge and light at the touch of switch, the pages quickly move on to simple but detailed explanations for how these different forms of energy get to our houses via the pipes and wires that lay behind the walls. There are spreads showing how electricity from the power station reaches our home; where gas comes from; and how water from the rivers reaches our taps, plus how it takes away things we don't want, like sewage. The illustrations are well laid out and informative; this would be a really useful book to support topics around the home, electricity, and how we use energy, and there are some website links to explore the topic further, plus tips on saving energy. The book doesn't have a contents page but there is an index that can be used to introduce children to how to use non-fiction texts. Having seen this book, I'll definitely look out for the others on food and clothes. 32 pages / Ages 5+ / Reviewed by Alison Brown.

Suggested Reading Age 5+