In this story of friendship, now in paperback, there once was a who was because its paint was peeling, the stairs were dirty, the roof leaked, and there were no flowers to decorate the windowsills. But what has made the house unhappy the most are the people who live in the house—they are at all hours of the day and night, with of each other. Can they all find a way to live ? This introduces young readers to the themes of , , and through and .