Copyright Date:
2020
Edition Date:
2020
Release Date:
09/15/20
Illustrator:
Vandevelde, Lucie,
Pages:
1 volume (unpaged)
ISBN:
3-7913-7454-0
ISBN 13:
978-3-7913-7454-3
Dewey:
E
LCCN:
2019953592
Dimensions:
33 cm
Language:
English
Reviews:
ALA Booklist
(Thu Oct 01 00:00:00 CDT 2020)
Kids love building sites and big machinery, and while this book offers both, it's concerned with construction of a different kind. Three children and a parrot watch as a colorful apartment complex is erected in their otherwise gray neighborhood. Unfortunately, it's right where their favorite tree happens to stand. They worry about the fate of the tree, but meanwhile, the building seems to come straight from a fairy tale, a castle of abstraction, asymmetry, bends, and curves. Magic abounds through the pages: plants have feet, cranes have faces, and the children themselves move about in a little house with feet and a face. When the building is finished, they learn that their tree now sits atop a foundation, like a throne, and that here, trees and plants are just as much residents as people. The story and illustrations are inspired by Austrian artist and "ecological" architect Friedenreich Hundertwasser, who brought nature and humans together in the buildings he designed. This fresh twist on the construction genre, with stunning imaginative artwork, is sure to inspire young readers.
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ALA Booklist
(Thu Oct 01 00:00:00 CDT 2020)
In this fairy tale-like story a beloved tree is saved and children learn how architecture can co-exist with nature.
The Austrian artist Friedensreich Hundertwasser believed that humanity and nature shared a harmonious partnership, a philosophy that he demonstrated with his architectural creations. Filled with color-saturated illustrations that echo Hundertwasser's bold style, this story introduces young readers to the idea of environmentally conscious and playful architecture. When construction starts on a new building in Lea's neighborhood, she fears that her favorite tree will be chopped down. For days she watches anxiously as the tree is covered up and surrounded by bricks. Finally, she learns that the tree has been spared and made the centerpiece of a fantastic new building, where it will live a long and healthy life. Lucie Vandevelde's joyful drawings convey a kid's-eye view of city life, complete with people, pets,
automobiles, and machinery. As the new building emerges, readers will come to learn about some of Hundertwasser's celebrated and offbeat principles--such as the rights of tenants to paint the walls outside of their windows, that trees should be given their own rooms, and that "straight lines lead to the downfall of humanity." A brief biography of Hundertwasser at the end of the book fills readers in on the work of this pioneering artist whose ideas were once radical but are now integrated into many architectural concepts.
Common Core
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Graphic
Novel
High/Low
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Book
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Print
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Adult
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