Your House Is Not Just a House
Words by Idris Goodwin and Art by Lorraine Nam
★ “Artwork created with cut paper and paint sometimes differentiates the imaginative play from reality, as with the transparent, steamy animals that emerge from the child’s bath. At other times, the flights of fancy appear as real as the typical household objects, such as when the kid tumbles across the couch like a professional wrestler defeating a robot opponent. The text also slips back and forth between real and unreal to celebrate all kinds of inventiveness, equating the child’s fantasies with the creative endeavors of the grown-ups, including dancing, painting, and writing. Slant rhymes and trips in the scansion will frustrate some readers; those who commit to the text with the same cheerful abandon as the protagonist will enjoy the reading experience anyway.
An exuberant paean to creativity.” — Kirkus Reviews
From breakbeat poet and playwright Idris Goodwin and celebrated artist Lorraine Nam comes a whimsical, irresistible rhyming read-aloud empowering kids to embrace their imagination. Perfect for fans of The Year We Learned to Fly and Boxitects.
It seems your home is just
walls, windows, and doors,
but take a closer look—
it's that and so much more!
One rainy day, a kid opens their closet to discover a teleportation chamber. In the adventure of make-believe that follows, we are invited to see our homes as more than places to live—they are vessels for creativity and joy.
Published by Clarion Books
Imagination Celebration is a month-long celebration for children 0-5 and their families. Each year Enoch Pratt Free Library selects a book that encourages imagination, inspires creativity, and strengthens diversity and equity.
This year's book (2025) is Your House is Not Just a House, by Idris Goodwin and Lorraine Nam, which focuses on the themes of home, creativity, and imagination.
Throughout the month of April, fun and exciting Imagination Celebration programs based on Your House is Not Just a House will be held across Baltimore at Pratt locations.
Imagination Celebration Kits filled with activities, crafts for preschoolers that encourage creativity and imagination and a copy of Your House is Not Just a House is available on a first-come, first-served basis beginning March 29.
