Continuing my read through the New York Public Library's 100 Great Children's Books List, and this little picture book is really quite lovely. It's not very complicated - few picture books are - just a small story about a house and the city that grows up around it over time. As is frequently the case with good picture books, it's the illustrations that really make it. They're simple, and slowly changing, but you can pick out the details of years passing as you read through the book, in small ways like the different types of carriages, or farm buildings appearing in the background. It's a shame the house can't find a single thing to enjoy about living in the city (and it eventually gets shifted back to its preferred country setting) but the way Burton writes about nature indicates that the house has taken on the preferences of the author. And there's nothing wrong with that.