Take Shelter: At Home Around the World (Orca Footprints)

Gr 2–5—What makes a house a home? Using accessible text and inviting photography, mother-daughter team Tate and Tate-Sutton take readers on a tour of homes, celebrating the diversity of structures that different groups of people, in the past and the present, have constructed around the world (and in outer space: the International Space Station is also mentioned). Chapters focus on all kinds of homes—underground, portable, and those constructed from nature-based and innovative materials. Structures as large as castles and as small as capsule hotels are highlighted, along with those created by necessity (the World War II-era Priest's Grotto caves and the contemporary storm drains of Las Vegas); homes that accommodate nomadic cultures, such as Mongolian yurts; and houses designed to meet the unique challenges of geography, including igloos built from ice and palafitte houses (abodes on stilts) built in flood zones. Captioned photographs include images of people, structures, and daily activities, including eating and studying. Potentially unfamiliar terms are defined in the text, "Home Facts" margin notes accent relevant statistics, and "My Place" sidebars feature first-person reflections from the authors, whose extensive travel experience informs their perspective. The textbook–style layout suggests an audience of social studies classrooms, but the subject matter makes the book appealing for pleasure reading as well. A detailed index models the process of index use, and the shortened URLs in a website "Resource List" make addresses easy to copy and share. However, no bibliography of print sources is included. Overall, an appealing and accessible addition to a global studies curriculum.—Jill Ratzan, I. L. Peretz Community Jewish School, Somerset, NJ

Once you start thinking of your home as a sanctuary, then your ingenuity can run pretty wild, as seen in this global tour of dwellings...Destitution is not the Tates' point. It is to show how people have used the materials at their disposal to fashion creative and wildly diverse dwellings...The photographs are key: They convey a sense of place, evoking places where readers could imagine unfurling their bedrolls...The supplementary text provides setting and logistical peculiarities, but more than that, it provides anecdotes about the homes...'Sanctuary' springs from the Latin sanctus, or holy—and the Tates have kept that well in mind.

Full-color photographs celebrate the world’s most unusual and amazing dwellings. A home is much more than a composition of building materials, and this book is an appealing introduction to a case study in cultural anthropology.

"A pictorial guide to global housing, the book appeals to low-end and at-risk readers with views on varied lifestyles and residences...The authors introduce concepts of thrift and sustainable energy alongside varied styles of beauty and identity."— "VOYA"

"A perfect resource for any student learning about homes around the world. The text is both interesting and well-researched. The writing style is straightforward and filled with appealing tidbits. All the photos include descriptive captions. Similar to the other books in the “Orca Footprints” collection, this book is formatted with an index, contents and a resource section that includes several websites for further research. Every school library will want this informative book. Highly Recommended." ― CM Magazine

"If you want to talk with your children and students about the many ways that people of the world find shelter, and do it in an informed and appealing way, you would do well to share this book with them. Then, let them take it and find their favorite parts to read on their own. They will find it endlessly interesting, and full of surprises. Many of us don't take the time to think seriously about the way that people beyond our narrow perspective make a home. This well-researched and clearly written book may just change that! It is quite amazing to see the creative and original ways that people find to make a 'home', no matter the circumstance or the setting." ― Sal's Fiction Addiction blog

"This book has universal appeal and is of interest to all ages because everyone rich and poor needs a place to 'hang their hat.' This book is highly recommended for both school and public libraries. It is an excellent resource for learning units about community, architecture, sustainability and social issues." ― Resource Links

"More than 40 million people live in underground houses in China’s neighbouring Northern provinces of Shaanxi and Shanxi...This is one of many fascinating facts mother and daughter authors Nikki Tate and Dani Tate-Stratton weave into their book on dwellings. Using an easy, conversational tone, they explore the various structures used as housing around the globe...Photographs, supplemental sidebars, and a list of online resources round out this eye-opening, thought-provoking work." ― Quill & Quire

"A great book to enhance the social studies and geography curriculum for the junior and intermediate divisions...Offers a panoramic view of global living conditions while also showing the economic diversity of people as they strive to provide one of life's most basic needs." ― Canadian Teacher Magazine