The House That Jane Built - by Tanya Lee Stone (Hardcover)

About the Book

Book Synopsis

This is the story of Jane Addams, the first American woman to receive the Nobel Peace Prize, who transformed a poor neighborhood in Chicago by opening up her house as a community center.

Ever since she was a little girl, Jane Addams hoped to help people in need. She wanted to live right in the middle of the roughest, poorest communities and create a place where people could go to find food, work, and help. In 1889, she bought a house in a run-down Chicago neighborhood and turned it into a settlement home, adding on playgrounds, kindergartens, and a public bath. By 1907, Hull House included thirteen buildings. And by the early 1920s, more than 9,000 people visited Jane's home each week. An inspiration to all, Jane Addams continues to be a role model to girls and women of all ages.

This title has Common Core connections.

Review Quotes

An NCTE Orbis Pictus Award Recommended Book
A CBC NCSS Notable Social Studies Trade Book
A Bank Street College Best Book of the Year
An Illinois Bluestem Award Nominee
A Junior Library Guild Selection

"In a moving portrayal of empathy and innovation in action, Stone and Brown convey both the significance of Addams's contributions, as well as the physical transformations of those she helped." --Publishers Weekly, Starred Review

"Rendered in watercolor with pen and ink, the illustrations, both full bleed and spot, beautifully evoke the time period and enhance the well-researched, accessible text. . . A fine introduction to the first American female recipient of the Nobel Peace Prize" --School Library Journal

"Stone is deft with characterization: readers see the young Addams enjoying a childhood game with her stepbrother, and while no connection is articulated, this seems contiguous with her launching Chicago's first playground as an adult. . . Addams's matter-of-fact noblesse oblige is captured in Brown's handsome watercolor and pen-and-ink illustrations" --The Horn Book

"Stone capably discusses Addams' early years at Hull House, the mansion she converted into a neighborhood center and encircled with related enterprises; Brown's ink and watercolor pictures complement the hopeful tone of the text" --The Bulletin

"* A short, incisive biography. . . . The cameos of action, matched by full-page pictures, make the history accessible. A must for library shelves." --Booklist, starred review on Elizabeth Leads the Way

"This biography brims with upbeat energy as the spirited woman sets out to change the system--an energy amplified by Rebecca Gibbon's bright folk art-styled pictures." --The Washington Post on Elizabeth Leads the Way

About the Author

Tanya Lee Stone loves to write about women pushing boundaries where no woman has before. Her work has received such accolades as the ALA Robert F. Sibert Award and the Jane Addams Children's Book Award.

Kathryn Brown has illustrated many picture books, including books by Patricia MacLachlan, Mem Fox, and Jane Yolen. Her work has received an ALA Notable citation, an ABA Pick of the List, and a Parenting Magazine Outstanding Children's Book of the Year award, among others.