The Wonderful World Of Houses

Aimed more at elementary and middle school students than general audiences, this educational guide to the various types of houses around the world stars Harry Houser, an animated character whose learning more about houses before he builds his own. Along with Harry, viewers discover that several different factors determine the size, shape, and composition of a house, including the local climate, the availability of natural resources, the relative need for safety, wealth, available technology, and social/cultural influences. While some of the animated segments seem unnecessarily drawn-out, the overall program is interesting, and introduces viewers to basic features of Greek, Roman, Egyptian, Mayan, Chinese, etc. architecture, as well as some more humorous examples of abodes (a tamale house, a hot dog house, a shoe house, etc.). Young viewers will be encouraged to think about why the history of houses has developed along the lines it has. Recommended. (R. Pitman)