Review by Booklist Review
Gr. 3-6. The husband-and-wife team who introduced amateur explorers in Crocodiles, Camels & Dugout Canoes: Eight Adventurous Episodes 0 (1998) and aviation history in Feathers, Flaps & Flops: Fabulous Early Fliers 0 (2001) looks at notable architectural and engineering constructions and their creators. In eight chapters, they tell the stories of Brunelleschi's dome of Santa Maria del Fiore, the mosques of Mimar Koca Sinan, the sculpture and architecture of Brazil's Lisboa, the Roeblings' Brooklyn Bridge, Eiffel's tower in Paris, the buildings of Barcelona's Gaudi, and Van Alen's Chrysler Building in New York City. Zaunders' narrative approach to nonfiction adds an appealing dimension to these artistic and engineering feats. Munro's often-beautiful ink drawings with color washes capture the special qualities of each construction. Her use of unusual perspectives lends drama to many of the compositions, and well-chosen details keep even large projects within the scale of human use and understanding. Going beyond "the usual suspects" in its choice of subjects, this large-format book will be a stimulating addition to children's architecture collections. --Carolyn Phelan Copyright 2004 Booklist
From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.
Review by School Library Journal Review
Gr 3-7-The works of seven master builders come to life in this attractive introduction to architecture. Featured structures include the Eiffel Tower, the mosques of Mimar Koca Sinan in Turkey, and the varied works of Brazil's O Aleijadinho. Zaunders opens each chapter with a significant scene from the individual's career, followed by historical and architectural background. The focus of each section varies, reflecting the diverse projects. The one on the Brooklyn Bridge, for example, mostly describes the physical challenges of the construction, along with the efforts of the three Roebling family members who saw it through to completion. In the chapter on Antoni Gaudi, more emphasis is placed on the man's life and the inventive artistic qualities he brought to his work. Munro's captivating artwork provides clear visual reference without overwhelming viewers with busyness. The illustrations range from large paintings to smaller images adorning the edges of the pages. They convey both the grandeur and the subtle details described in the text. The skyward view of the cathedral of Santa Maria del Fiore, for instance, shows its sheer size, but also notes the intricate workings of the hoist needed to build the dome, along with the oxen supplying the power. Other titles may cover more buildings or dig further into the mechanics of construction, but this is an engaging first look at the glories of structural design.-Steven Engelfried, Beaverton City Library, OR (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
(c) Copyright Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Review by Horn Book Review
(Intermediate) Recent nonfiction books about important structures -- cathedrals, mosques, bridges, skyscrapers -- have focused mainly on their construction. Zaunders adopts a different approach: he concentrates on the builders themselves, often highlighting the enormous obstacles that would have daunted less courageous, less obsessive geniuses. A brief introduction explains the reasoning behind the men Zaunders and his illustrator/collaborator Roxie Munro chose to include: ""We wanted to touch upon as many centuries and countries as possible."" To this end, the book's seven sections span from 1422 Florence (Filippo Brunelleschi's cathedral dome) to early-twentieth-century New York (William Van Alen's Chrysler Building) and, in each instance, focus on the human drama behind the structures. We learn, for example, about the crippling caisson disease (the bends) that forced Washington Roebling to complete work on the Brooklyn Bridge using field glasses from a wheelchair in a nearby apartment, and about Barcelona's maverick architect Antoni Gaudi, who slept on the site of his final project. Munro's vibrant watercolor vignettes and full-page illustrations complement the text with their variety and appropriately altering perspectives. A bibliography is appended. (c) Copyright 2010. The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted. All rights reserved.
(c) Copyright The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Review by Kirkus Book Review
Introductions to renowned buildings usually focus on their construction; Zaunders looks instead to their uniformly brilliant, ambitious, strong-minded architects. His seven choices include such usual suspects as Eiffel, "Pippo" Brunelleschi, and the Brooklyn Bridge's Roeblings--but also lesser-known but no less bright lights: Mimar Koca Sinan, chief architect of the Ottoman Empire; Brazil's hallowed, horribly disfigured Lisboa; the irrepressible Antonio Gaudi; and finally William Van Alen, whose Chrysler Building will always be Art Deco's greatest monument. As in her "Inside Outside" series, Munro's illustrations are themselves marvels--mostly partial rather than full views that, drawn with a controlled but fluid line, accurately depict details but also capture a vivid sense of each structure's light, space, and feeling. Zaunders tucks an occasional nugget of biographical information into his accounts, but he's more absorbed by his subjects' spirit, characters, and accomplishments. Readers will be, too. (Nonfiction. 8-10) Copyright ©Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
