Travel to 10 different countries, and learn about the children, their families, and their unique homes.

As the saying goes, a picture is worth 1,000 words—and that’s never been more true than with Wonderful Houses Around the World. The informative book introduces children to a variety of cultures with 10 glorious, two-page photographic spreads of homes and the families who live inside. Each exterior picture is accompanied by an illustration of the home’s interior, with various family members engaged in typical daily activities. Descriptive captions explain the everyday lives of the children and families: where each house is located, the environmental conditions that affect the house design, how each family lives in the home, and their possessions— all providing interesting glimpses of life in other cultures.

There has never been a photographer of buildings like Yoshio Komatsu. He has traveled extensively around the world for more than 25 years, photographing hand-built homes. The 10 houses profiled here include a red-mud dwelling with thatched towers in Togo, a yurt in Mongolia, a donut-shaped communal building in China, and more. Other countries visited in this educational book include Bolivia, India, Indonesia, Romania, Senegal, Spain, and Tunisia.

Book Features

• Spotlight on 10 homes in Africa, Asia, Europe, and South America


• Large, full-color photo of each home


• Detailed interior illustrations by Akira Nishiyama


• Captions and text about the children’s daily lives

Fascinating and unique, Wonderful Houses Around the World gives children a welcome introduction to other places and other lives throughout the world.