My kids enjoyed this book. Very different from where we live, on a farm, it gave my kids an insight into the kind of life other children live.

Our Building by Joseph Coelho is a beautifully illustrated exploration of community and connection. The narrative unfolds through the eyes of a child, revealing the vibrant lives of neighbors in their shared space. Coelho’s poetic language captures the warmth and diversity of relationships, emphasizing the importance of belonging and understanding in an urban environment. This charming book encourages young readers to appreciate the unique stories that each person brings to their community, making it a lovely addition to any child’s bookshelf.

Beautiful colours, I was not expecting to see so much nature in a book about a concrete building. Realism and fantasy mix.

This book was so cute! I think it will be great representation for children that live in apartment buildings, which I feel like I don't see as often in picture books. The art was pretty and I liked it a lot.

A brilliant illustrated picture book by the wonderful Joseph Coelho. Lyrically written as all of his books.
We start by seeing a grey, miserable city scene but more colour enters as we read on. It is a lovely book about children using their imagination to see beauty in the most mundane places.
A heartwarming plot and a captivating read for young readers, perfect for bedtime reading or as a class reader.

‘Our Building’ by Joseph Coelho is a delightful children's book that captures the beauty of home and the shared spaces within a community. This charming story offers young readers a glimpse into the everyday lives and heartwarming moments experienced by the building's residents.

Plot: ★★★★☆

The plot of ‘Our Building’ beautifully showcases the essence of home and shared spaces. It cleverly weaves together the beauty of nature and that of urban living, highlighting the sense of community they create. The narrative is both engaging and heartwarming, making it a standout read.

Character: ★★★★★

The characters are incredibly sweet and endearing. Each resident depicted brings something special to the story, making it rich with personality and warmth. The main characters are well-developed, providing a sense of depth and connection.

Illustrations: ★★★★★

The illustrations are simply gorgeous. They beautifully complement the story, adding vibrant colours and details that bring the building and its inhabitants to life. The artwork enhances the reading experience, making it visually captivating for children.

Engagement: ★★★★★

This is a very engaging read. Children are sure to be hooked by the charming plot and the lively illustrations. The story’s pacing and the variety of characters keep the narrative interesting and dynamic.

Readability: ★★★★★

‘Our Building’ boasts great readability with a fantastic read-aloud factor. The language is accessible and flows smoothly, making it an excellent choice for storytime. The balance of text and illustrations ensures that young readers remain engaged throughout.

Enjoyment: ★★★★☆

This is a very enjoyable read. The combination of a heartwarming plot, sweet characters, and beautiful illustrations makes it a book that both children and adults can appreciate. I really liked it and believe it will be a favourite for many.


‘Our Building’ by Joseph Coelho is a heartwarming and visually stunning children's book that highlights the beauty of home and shared spaces within a community. With its engaging plot, lovable characters, and beautiful illustrations, it’s a delightful read that is sure to capture the hearts of young readers and their families.

Thanks to NetGalley for providing me wirh an advanced copy of this book and the author for giving me that opportunity too.
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A book in a black and white city where u cannot find anything good because of how you look at everything, but one day, everything changed...

SPOILER ALERT !!!
I liked the ideal meaning of happiness in a big city where it is fully built by concrete or gray. You can see a bit of nature and color in a city such as central park in NewYork.

Once it turns colored i was not expecting that situation and the fantasy of an old cricked man who it was a tree.

4.0

This is a fantastical picture book designed to appeal to children growing up in boring gray high-rise buildings, to encourage them to use their imaginations to see the beauty in the mundane. It was a bit too imaginative for me, though, and I wish it had focused more on the building and not taken a side trip to a nearby forest and underground. And it bothered me that some of the phrases rhymed while others did not - it always makes me reread the latter to see if I read it wrong; it's distracting.

I received an advance reader copy of this book to read in exchange for an honest review via netgalley and the publishers.

Our Building is an illustrated children's picture book told in a lyrical descriptive format. The book starts out with a miserable grey city scene, and more colour gets added as the book unfolds. This was a magical explorative read, and each page has so much to take in and see. The book encourages and brings to life the imagination of children and as an adult made me see the magic in the normal things around me. The book was inclusive of different cultures and had beautiful illustrations.

This is gorgeous, lyrical and has such a wonderful sentiment. You might just see a big concrete building, but what a child sees with all their wonder is a word full of stories, kindness, love, playfulness and delight. Properly gorgeous with INCREDIBLE illustrations.

This book is gorgeously illustrated! I seriously cannot talk about this art enough, it is so pretty. I love the magical adventure and imagination of the kids too.

This children's fantasy picture book includes everything a young child, who feels bound by the oppressive grayness of city life, might need to find the magic and joy in the unlikeliest of places. If you are looking to inspire the imagination of your young one, no matter where you live, Our Building just might hold what you need.

I honestly would buy this book just for the illustrations! The story is simple and I appreciate the themes of building a community and of opening your eyes to the beautiful things, but the story lacked oomph. If I was sharing this book with my child, I would probably focus more on the illustrations than the text, particularly after the first time we read it together.

Our Building is a beautifully illustrated story that has lots of imagination. Kids will love reading this book and its whimsical plot. Definitely one to watch for!

Impactful ending. Relays the importance of community and helping others. Magical elements that are reminiscent of wonders that we may see. Accessible prose. My favourite was the tree. Implementation of beauty is in the eye of the beholder. Choppy narration that lacks flow. Yields gratitude and appreciation. Recommended for those looking for the joy in every-day things. Overall, an average read.

This book is great for anyone who has ever lived in an apartment. The illustrations are full of life and color! The story takes you on a magical journey of mindset and imagination! I will definitely be reading this one to my class!

For what it was, I liked this book. I just felt like it was a little boring and anticlimactic, and I wish that the rhyming would have been a bit more constant.
The bulk of the book didn't feel as exciting as I think it should have felt, but I did enjoy the light tone of wonder hugging the story. However, I think that the intended audience, young kids that live in apartment buildings, will find this book to be more relatable and interesting than I did. I would like to note, though, that I think to any kids that don't live in apartment buildings, this book will be boring and unrelatable. That narrows the audience of people that will read and enjoy this book, but it's important that the author decided to focus on a more overlooked group of kids.
As for the rhyming, it was not consistent at all. Certain lines rhymed, certain pages rhymed, but there was never a clear pattern. This definitely took me out of the story even more and made the story not as smooth as it could have been. It's also important to know that kids can get more into books that flow well, especially with rhyming, so it's important to have that element be solid and strong if you're going to include it.
Lastly, I thought that the illustrations were beautifully done. They were my favorite part! The glowing mushrooms were very impressive and absolutely stunning, and the way people were illustrated was phenomenal. They were so captivating that I took a few extra moments to admire them. Bravo on that part!

This book about the character's home is great for learning adjectives as it is filled with descriptive words about the building. The amount of descriptive words may make it hard for young readers to follow the story.

The author's incredible prowess over words is clear in the visuals and onomatopoeia createdbwith the poetry. I do think that the language is difficult to be understood by young readers, especially those new to poetic writing. The illustrations, however, make up for the complexity of the words and are highly engaging while adding more meaning to the story,

This is a fantastic children’s book. The best thing about this story is its vocabulary. It challenges children to learn new words and uses them in such a way that they are easy for teachers to explain. The discussion surrounding community is fantastic and the diversity within the text commendable. This book would be particularly useful in EYFS- Key stage 1 in which children are still learning about other peoples cultures and lives. I thought of about fifty lesson ideas for this book just after the first read- a sign of a truly inspiring text.