In this picture book, illustrator Leo Hartas removes the front wall of a five-story building and paints the frenetic lives he finds inside. In his own imaginative style he introduces us to the 20 people, several cats and myriad other animals that live there. We enter the apartment block early in the morning, and with each turn of the page, move through the day. The visit finishes in the small hours of the following morning when most of the inhabitants (but not quite all) are asleep. The book tells the story of Dot Splot the artist, Professor Algebrus the inventor, Miss Stella Starspangle and Deirdre Dibble, three families and the caretakers in the basement. While the humans are busy, many animals are weaving their part of the story too.

 

This book is part of a book series called Picture Books .

There are 32 pages in this book. This is a picture book. A picture book uses pictures and text to tell the story. The number of words varies from zero ('wordless') to around 1k over 32 pages. Picture books are typically aimed at young readers (age 3-6) but can also be aimed at older children (7+). This book was published 1995 by Dorling Kindersley Ltd .

SAVIOUR PIROTTA is the award-winning author of over one hundred fiction and nonfiction books for children. His works have been translated into 28 languages. Originally from Malta, he now lives in England. LEO HARTAS has been illustratting professionally for over 20 years and has developed a range of skills and talents in traditional illustration and digital painting. He has worked for a number of different publishers including BBC Worldwide, Walker Books, Macmillan's Children's Books, Random House and QED.