In this fascinating piece by Rumaan Ali for Slate, he explores how children's picture books offer a fun historical survey of the ideal architecture and interior decor for each place and time, spanning from the early 20th century to contemporary times. Although the books usually incorporate some element of fantasy, the throw rugs, furniture, and division of space tend to be reflective of the real world of that era.

As Ali writes about the "Best Storybook Ever" by Richard Scarry:

"The silhouettes of the sofas in the living room and the attic den are similar. This is not a home of ostentatious decorative gestures, but one of comfort, a faith in the modern culture (the television, the record player, a single book, from the Book of the Month Club, no doubt, left out on the coffee table). We see the home at the start of the day: one son lacing up his shoes, mother working on breakfast. The house is awake, alive with an optimism about what the day, the decade, the century holds for the people who live here, the people who live like this."

More news about architecture in unusual mediums:

• A tour of experiential magical realism games from the Triennale Game Collection
• Tectr: Tinder for architecture?
• A home that molds itself to your memories