Cover Image

Henry builds a cabin

by Johnson, D. B. 1944-

Format: Print Book 2002
Availability: Available at 9 Libraries 9 of 10 copies

Available (9)
Location Collection Call #
Bethel Park Public Library Picture Books PB JOHNSON D
Location  Bethel Park Public Library
 
Collection  Picture Books
 
Call Number  PB JOHNSON D
 
 
C.C. Mellor Memorial Library Picture Books E Joh
Location  C.C. Mellor Memorial Library
 
Collection  Picture Books
 
Call Number  E Joh
 
 
Dormont Public Library Animals ANIMALS JOHN
Location  Dormont Public Library
 
Collection  Animals
 
Call Number  ANIMALS JOHN
 
 
Mt. Lebanon Public Library Children's Picture Books j Ea JOHNSON
Location  Mt. Lebanon Public Library
 
Collection  Children's Picture Books
 
Call Number  j Ea JOHNSON
 
 
Oakmont Carnegie Library Juvenile Fiction E JO
Location  Oakmont Carnegie Library
 
Collection  Juvenile Fiction
 
Call Number  E JO
 
 
Pleasant Hills Public Library Picture Book Juv Pict Joh
Location  Pleasant Hills Public Library
 
Collection  Picture Book
 
Call Number  Juv Pict Joh
 
 
Sewickley Public Library Juvenile Picture Books J E JOH
Location  Sewickley Public Library
 
Collection  Juvenile Picture Books
 
Call Number  J E JOH
 
 
Upper St. Clair Township Library Picture Books JOHNSON
Location  Upper St. Clair Township Library
 
Collection  Picture Books
 
Call Number  JOHNSON
 
 
Whitehall Public Library Picture Books PIC Johnson
Location  Whitehall Public Library
 
Collection  Picture Books
 
Call Number  PIC Johnson
 
 
 
Unavailable (1)
Location Collection Status
Shaler North Hills Library Juvenile Picture Book CHECKED OUT
Location  Shaler North Hills Library
 
Collection  Juvenile Picture Book
 
Status  CHECKED OUT
 
 

Summary

How big does a home really need to be? When Henry decides to build a cabin for himself in the woods, he gets some help and a lot of advice from his friends. But Henry, being Henry, has his own ideas, and he sets about building his house as a bird builds its nest. As he adds everything he thinks his cabin needs, Henry's new home ends up being a lot bigger than it looks!

Inspired by the life of Henry David Thoreau, and illustrated with nature-filled paintings by author and artist D. B. Johnson, Henry Builds a Cabin is a thoughtful and beautiful meditation on what a home can be.

Published Reviews
Booklist Review: "Ages 4-8. Henry, the affable bear in Henry Hikes to Fitchburg (2000), hears some advice from his friends as he builds a small cabin near the pond. Emerson opines that the space is too compact to eat in. Alcott says it's too dark to read in, and Miss Lydia judges it too small for dancing. Each time, Henry pronounces it «bigger than it looks,» and leads his friends to an outdoor space nearby: a garden for eating, a sunny spot for reading, and a hillside path for dancing. One day, as Henry is enjoying his outside eating, reading, and dancing spaces, a rainstorm sends him running for the cabin, which he calls «just the room I wear when it's raining.» This novel way of looking at living space--outdoors as well as in--will appeal to children's sense of logic, which often defies convention. Well balanced structurally and excellent for reading aloud, the text offers a new outlook as well as a good story. The artwork, created with colored pencils and paint, is as unconventional yet comprehensible as Henry's philosophy of housing. Subtle patterns on overlapping planes enrich the pictures, which glow with warm, spring colors. On the final page, a note discusses how Henry David Thoreau built his cabin at Walden Pond. An unusually fine sequel. Carolyn Phelan."
From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.
Publisher's Weekly Review: "This worthy sequel to Henry Hikes to Fitchburg rewards repeat visits and inspires a joyful respect for nature. Johnson again conjures the practical spirit of Thoreau and venerates simple living. Walden's chapter on "Economy," complete with a budgeted list of building materials, generates the tale of Henry, a patient bear outfitted in a broad-brimmed farm hat and an outdoorsman's warm clothes. In early spring, with heaps of snow melting on the forest floor, Henry diagrams his dream house, a one-room cabin. "He borrow[s] an ax and cut[s] down twelve trees," hews the pine logs into thick posts for the cabin's frame, and constructs his walls from the weathered boards and windows of "an old shed." His thrifty ways and careful measurements indicate his conservationist approach, and his steady progress could inspire a present-day building project. When friends like Emerson and Alcott pronounce the cabin "too small," Henry replies, "It's bigger than it looks." He proudly guides them to a vegetable garden ("This will be my dining room") and a winding path to the pond ("This will be the ballroom"). The conclusion finds Henry happily lolling outdoors in his "library," resting his feet on the windowsill; he gets under his roof only when it rains. Johnson's singular illustrations of the changing seasons exhibit the planed surfaces of cubist paintings. Each scene sparkles as if viewed through multifaceted glass, and eagle-eyed readers will spot New England species like jays, kingfishers, foxes and red squirrels darting around the peripheries. Ages 4-8. (Mar.) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved"
(c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved
Additional Information
Series Henry series
#1 - Henry hikes to Fitchburg
#2 - Henry builds a cabin
#3 - Henry climbs a mountain
#4 - Henry works
Subjects Thoreau, Henry David, -- 1817-1862 -- Juvenile fiction.
Thoreau, Henry David, -- 1817-1862 -- Fiction.
Buildings -- Fiction.
Saving and investment -- Fiction.
Publisher Boston [Mass.] :Houghton Mifflin,2002
Language English
Description 1 volume (unpaged) : color illustrations ; 24 x 29 cm
ISBN 9780618132010
0618132015 :
Other Classic View