Building Zaha The story of architect Zaha Hadid

This picture-book biography of Zaha Hadid opens with scenes of the architect as a child, visiting local Baghdad's mosques and palaces as well as the Sumerian wetlands, where people built floating homes amid the flowing waterways and rippling grasses. A bright student who was fascinated by construction, Hadid became a hard-working, imaginative architect in an era when few women entered the profession. She pursued her own path, guided by the dual goals of creating harmony between people and their surroundings and suggesting a sense of continuous movement and change. Despite the experience of sometimes having her designs chosen in competitions but later abandoned, she gradually gained a recognition for creating innovative, dynamic buildings, and in 2004, she won the Pritzker Prize. As an architect, Tentler-Krylov brings an abundance of understanding to her subject's profession and the obstacles she faced. And by helping readers imagine the challenges of designing a building, she enables them to appreciate Hadid's process and achievements. Text and art work well together in portraying her forceful, flamboyant personality, her strong determination, and her brilliant architectural designs. With fluid lines and vibrant watercolor washes, the well-composed double-page scenes vividly illustrate Hadid's life and work. A memorable introduction to a visionary architect.

With fittingly bold, whimsical, flowing illustrations, this picture-book biography showcases Iraqi British architect Zaha Hadid, who "dreamed big and defied convention." Born in Baghdad in 1950, Hadid was an active, observant child, noticing the shifting "light and shadow play" in local palaces and mosques, and the "rippling harmony" between people and their environment in the Iraqi marshes -- keen observations that would later inform her work. After studying math in Beirut, Hadid moved to London: "It was time to get serious about studying architecture." The daring young professional, who "reached for paints and brushes and conjured structures that tilted, swayed, and floated on air," was hired by two of her professors after graduation and also entered design competitions. Tentler-Krylov describes Hadid's confident persistence in the face of criticism ("she had to be tougher than most") and tracks her burgeoning career with vivid details (her fire station in Germany resembled "a bird taking flight"). Rendered with watercolor and digital tools, the illustrations exude energy and power. This stirring tribute to the "first woman, first Iraqi, first Muslim, and youngest person ever" to win the Pritzker Prize, architecture's highest award, includes an author's note, a timeline, a bibliography, and endpapers featuring photos of Hadid's most famous structures. Pair with Jeanette Winter's picture-book biography of Hadid, The World Is Not a Rectangle (rev. 9/17). Tanya D. Auger March/April 2021 p.126(c) Copyright 2021. The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

Curious as a child, exploring mosques and palaces in Baghdad and wanting to create and construct the impossible, Zaha Hadid grew up to influence the field of architecture. In Tentler-Krylov's telling, young Hadid's interests in construction sites and math grow as she ages, leading to her getting a math degree in college and moving to London, where she studies architecture. She spends hours studying and sketching. Although she makes a name for herself in England, the ever unconventional Hadid is not hired to design buildings, so she enters competitions. After some difficulty, one of her innovative designs becomes reality. Even when faced with obstacles and rejection, Hadid continues to defy form. Hadid dares to challenge the critics and meets negative feedback with determination and confidence, ultimately becoming the first woman to design an art museum in the United States and the youngest ever to win the prestigious Pritzker Prize. Tentler-Krylov's brushy watercolor illustrations create movement on the page, highlighting Hadid's unique tilting, swaying, and floating structures. Short paragraphs advance the narrative spread by spread, describing how her subject's passion became her career. An architect herself, the author/illustrator provides an enthusiastic note explaining her interest in Hadid along with a timeline and a bibliography; quoted dialogue is unsourced, and a small note on the copyright page emphasizes that the book is historical fiction and not strict biography. An inspiring story based on a dazzlingly influential life. (Picture book. 5-10) Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.