Through the Looking Glass Children's Book Reviews
DIY Dollhouse
Nonfiction
For ages 8 to 12
Princeton Architectural Press, 2017 ISBN: 978-1616896072
People of all ages all over the world love to make miniatures. There is something addictive about creating small worlds that could serve tiny people, if tiny people existed. Dollhouses have been around for a long time and they are beloved by children and adults alike. Indeed, many adults spend hundreds of hours and a great deal of money building beautiful and sometimes lavish dollhouses that they display with great pride.
The wonderful thing is that you don’t need to buy a kit or expensive supplies to build a dollhouse. In all likelihood you have everything you need to build a dollhouse of your own in your home. Yogurt pots, thread spools, cardboard boxes, wrapping paper, beads, wooden fruit crates and other items that are in your cabinets and closets are perfect for building a dollhouse.
In this book the author shows us how to build a dollhouse from start to finish. She begins by telling us what we need to gather together before we begin. She advises us to look for supplies wherever we go. Twigs lying on the ground in the park, leftover popsicle sticks in school, candy wrappers, and other items are all useful when it comes to building a homemade dollhouse.
The author also tells us what tools we will need, what kind of paints we might like to use, and she encourages us to think “outside the box to achieve your goals. Use your imagination and be creative.”
Funnily enough, you are going to need boxes to begin your dollhouse. Fruit crates are the perfect thing to use to make the rooms for your house. You can cover what will be the walls of the rooms with gift wrap, and the floors with fabric.
The first room you are going to make is the living room. The author shows you how to make a bookshelf, a fireplace, an armchair, a loveseat, a coffee table, and a television. Step-by-step diagrams will help crafters to see how to make every piece of furniture, and photos of the interior of the room shows us what it will look like when it is furnished and accessorized.
We then go on to make a bathroom, a teenagers bedroom (complete with posters and a computer), a child’s bedroom, a kitchen (with food in it), a master bedroom, and finally a patio.
Young crafters are going to love using this book to build their own dollhouse. They will grow to love the process of building something from scratch, and perhaps they might be inspired to build more houses that they have designed all on their own.
