Author: Barbara Beck (no website found)
Publisher: Schiffer Publishing
Rating: WORTHY!
DISCLOSURE: Unlike the majority of reviews in this blog, I've neither bought this book nor borrowed it from the library. This is a "galley" copy ebook, supplied by Net Galley. I'm not receiving (nor will I expect to receive or accept) remuneration for this review. The chance to read a new novel is reward aplenty!
This is a really great idea for a story-book for a kid. I would have loved this as a youngster because I was always reading stuff about how things worked and how buildings - castles, skyscrapers - whatever - were put together, but I never became an architect. Now I can! Just kidding. But seriously, this is the ticket - or perhaps not the ticket, but certainly a foot in the well-designed door of the beautiful station where the train to your future departs!
The book is short, but has lots in it, including a lot of text, so it’s not for kids who haven't a good handle on their reading skills, but it is crystal clear for those who have and who are willing to pay attention. On the other hand, there's no reason at all why you couldn’t read it and explain it to younger children.
Architecture isn’t simple after all (it just looks that way when it’s done right!), so it’s a daunting task to embark upon a project like this, and impart enough to be engaging and make sense to children without it becoming a textbook. Be assured that, for those who are willing to spend a little bit of time here, this book will reward. It talks about all aspects of building, using a residential house as an example, but frequently referring to other types of buildings.
I remember when I was a young kid, trying to apply rules of logic to the English language - which is a doomed activity, let’s face it - and wondering why hoof became hooves, but roof didn’t become rooves! I had all but forgotten that until I started looking at the plan view of the house, with the interesting roof line and got carried back! Woah! It’s dizzying experience going down memory lane sometimes, isn't it?!
Anyway, this book not only discusses the how, but also the what and the why, which is just as important. How do we select a site? How do we factor in the environment? Why are there so many drawings?! What do these lines and symbols mean? It never goes into too much detail - just enough to get an understanding of the things discussed on the page, and it challenges the reader to think about what they're doing, and to try to improve upon the house that's designed in the text - what would you do? How would you change it? What would you prefer in a house you were designing? Of course there's far more to it than is shown here, but this is a great way to start.
There's no genderism here. This books reads true and pure for females, males, or anyone in between. The only thing you need worry about is whether you have enough large, blank pieces of paper upon which your kid(s) can execute their grand designs. Or maybe you can find a site or an app online which allows kids to design their own buildings, and save those trees! Maybe after they’ve designed their building, you can help them construct it with Legos and see if it works?
I loved this book, and I recommend it.
