An autobiographical picture book offers an account of the artist’s childhood growing up in Shanghai during World War II. Knowing that war was pending, Young’s father (Baba), an engineer, sought the safest place to build a house, selecting the area of the city closest to the foreign embassies. Since he couldn’t afford to buy the land, he made a deal: the house would revert to the landowner in twenty years. The house Baba built was massive, with multiple floors, many rooms, courtyards, gardens, and even a skating rink on the roof. It was a child’s paradise for Young and his four siblings. But it was also a safe haven for their extended family, and others as well. The fascinating story is accompanied by amazing art: Richly textured illustrations use a stunning combination of drawing, painting, collage, and photographs, and include some fold-out pages to give a sense of roominess, especially when considered from the perspective of the child Young was. The book concludes with photos of the house today, a timeline, and, best of all, detailed floor plans of the dwelling. (Ages 7–14)

I knew nothing could happen to us within those walls, in the house Baba built.

In Ed Young's childhood home in Shanghai, all was not as it seemed: a rocking chair became a horse; a roof became a roller rink; an empty swimming pool became a place for riding scooters and bikes. The house his father built transformed as needed into a place to play hide-and-seek, to eat bamboo shoots, and to be safe.

For outside the home's walls, China was at war. Soon the house held not only Ed and his four siblings but also friends, relatives, and even strangers who became family. The war grew closer, and Ed watched as planes flew overhead and frends joined the Chinese air force. But through it all, Ed's childhood remained full of joy and imagination.

This powerful, poignant, and exquisitely illustrated memoir is the story of one of our most beloved children's illustrators and the house his baba built.