The only reason I give The Home Builders a 4.5 rating is that there are a couple of the illustrations that did not “do it” for me. Two of the images that “threw me” were the deer with the too fanciful horn and the tree that has leaves that look like they need to be colored in and need to stop being “ghost leaves.” But they are extremely small “issues” and I am guessing that most people will enjoy the illustrations without seeing the bumps I noticed. That is because Simona Mulazzani has some amazing pieces of artwork in this book by Varsha Bajaj. There are some great color combinations, most of the images feel real in these drawings and they illustrate and accent the text perfectly.
Overall this is a poetic look at animals and what they do to make a home and family in toddler friendly language. You see the moles digging and foxes in dens. The forest, grasslands and area around it come alive. When families finally arrive, you see each animal thrive.
Like several picture books of late, I have notice this is a book to experience. Each reader will find the piece or pieces that speak to them. A classroom setting (which it could be used to help compliment more scientific text) will take one thing and the one-on-one reading will take something else. It could be used even as an example of prose poetry, even though it is set up in the traditional book format. It is a book that is great for your own collection or as a gift for a child or adult. This is a book that is comfortable to read or be read to.