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THE HOUSE THAT JILL BUILT by Phyllis Root

THE HOUSE THAT JILL BUILT

by Phyllis Root & illustrated by Delphine Durand

Pub Date: Sept. 1st, 2005
ISBN: 0-7636-1008-9
Publisher: Candlewick

Obsessive-compulsive flap-lifters will be particularly pleased by the multitude of tiny doors, windows and cupboards in this exercise in cumulative carpentry. Capable Jill and her feline assistant find themselves building room after room onto the cozy house they’ve just finished, as Little Jack Horner, Little Bo Peep, three kittens, a dish, a spoon and numerous other nursery-rhyme denizens arrive. The durable cut flaps stay put, but the scenes visible behind them change with each new spread, as new residents meet and mingle. It all culminates in a huge foldout that shows the entire interior. Noting, “There’s no room left for me and my cat. / Something will have to be done about that!,” Jill hies off to a distant hilltop and builds anew. Closing with a final popup of her new cottage, this colorful interactive romp, drenched in small detail, will keep young audiences entranced. (Picture book/novelty. 6-9)