Watch: The House That She Built Featured in Library Story Time
The House That She Built, a children’s book written to break stereotypes about home building and introduce construction trades to a new generation of girls, was recently featured in a story time reading at a public library in North Dakota.
Sara Bender, a member of the Professional Women in Building (PWB) council at the Bismarck-Mandan HBA, and Traci Juhala, Head of Youth Services for the Bismarck Public Library, worked together to present The House That She Built during a recent story time at the library.
“Sara approached us about this great book that came out that the PWB Council wanted to share with the community,” said Juhala. “We were lucky to be able to tie it into a financial literacy exhibit we have going on at the library right now. It was just a perfect fit because we were looking for some real-world examples about kids being aware of money in their lives and it was just this wonderful partnership that developed.”
Bender and Juhala were featured in a segment on local CBS affiliate KX News. Watch the interview.
The Real-World House That She Built Project
NAHB’s PWB Council supports similar councils at state and local HBAs across the country. The PWB Council in Utah decided that they were going to build a house with all women contractors because just three percent of jobsite workers in home building are women.
The building project goal was to illustrate to kids that women can work in the construction industry too.
The House That She Built is a children’s book published by NAHB BuilderBooks featuring the real house. Find out more about The House That She Built and how to add it to a child’s bookshelf at shebuiltbook.com.
You can help support the national and local PWB Councils during PWB Week, Sept. 12-16.
Latest from NAHBNow
Economics
May 06, 2026
Mortgage Rates, Inflation and Yields All Rise in AprilMortgage rates continued to increase in April as ceasefire negotiations remain inconclusive. According to Freddie Mac, the 30-year fixed-rate mortgage averaged 6.34% in April, 16 basis points (bps) higher than March.
Workforce Development
May 05, 2026
Philadelphia BIA Member Shifts How Local Community Views the TradesFor Jordan Parisse-Ferrarini, a member of the Building Industry Association of Philadelphia, a career that began with his family’s small business and tools from a pawn shop has flourished into multiple companies, numerous advisory roles and a passion for developing the next generation of skilled trades professionals.
Latest Economic News
Economics
May 04, 2026
Mortgage Rates Climb as Inflation Rebounds and Yields RiseMortgage rates continued to increase in April as ceasefire negotiations remain inconclusive. According to Freddie Mac, the 30-year fixed-rate mortgage averaged 6.34% in April, 16 basis points (bps) higher than March. The average 15-year rate also increased by 13 bps to 5.69%. Despite the recent increase, both rates remain lower than a year ago by 39 bps and 21 bps, respectively.
Economics
May 01, 2026
Student Housing Construction Investment Holds Steady in the First Quarter of 2026Private fixed investment in student dormitories edged up 0.1% in the first quarter of 2026, holding at a seasonally adjusted annual rate (SAAR) of $3.9 billion. This modest gain marked a third consecutive quarterly increase, despite continued pressures from elevated interest rates. However, on a year-over-year basis, investments in dorms remained almost unchanged.
Economics
Apr 30, 2026
Housing’s Share of GDP Dips Below 16% for First Time Since 2019Housing’s share of the economy was 15.9% in the first quarter of 2026, according to the latest estimates of GDP produced by the Bureau of Economic Analysis. This share is down from 16.0% in the fourth quarter and is lower than 16.5% registered just one year ago.