School Library Journal Starred Review (Wed May 01 00:00:00 CDT 2013)

Gr 4-6 Budding architects are likely to spend hours poring over the gorgeous drawings and fascinating trivia in this large-format title. Beginning with the first man-made huts 400,000 years ago, the book takes readers on a journey through time, exploring well-known structures such as the pyramids, Hagia Sophia, Versailles, and the Guggenheim Museum. Each spread is dedicated to a single building; in addition to a detailed illustration of the structure, it also includes information about the architect, the architectural style, and/or definitions of particular details. For example, readers learn that Westminster Palace was made from limestone, which is easy to carve into elaborate, decorative formations, but it is also highly susceptible to air-pollution damage. Readers also learn about porticos, Doric columns, and other assorted aspects of a building's facade. The bullet-point style of the writing and detailed artwork invite browsing and repeated viewings; readers will also be inspired to look up photos of the actual buildings depicted in the illustrations. The back matter includes a detailed time line and an excellent glossary; the latter is especially important as there are a lot of unfamiliar terms here for young researchers. This title will pair nicely with David Macaulay's Castle (1977) and Cathedral (1973, both Houghton Mifflin), as well as Andrea Beaty's Iggy Peck, Architect (Abrams, 2007) .— Laura Lutz, Pratt Institute, New York City

ALA Booklist (Tue Jan 01 00:00:00 CST 2013)

How about a historical overview of architectural styles mixed with a bit about each style's time period and the people who lived there? Each two-page spread introduces a historical period through a short narrative about the architectural type, a specific architect, pictures of one or more buildings, and numbered explanations of various parts of the building(s). An asterisk indicates words included in the glossary. The subtitle of the book is misleading: the book shouldn't be limited to children. It has plenty to offer young adults and adults who desire a brief glimpse at architecture and how styles have changed through the millennia. Besides the well-known architectural styles, readers learn about blobitecture and futuristic forms of eco-architecture. The time line at the end further explains each period, from before 10,000 BCE to today. The aforementioned glossary is thorough, though a thumbprint picture of each term would be helpful to keep readers from flipping back through pages.

Horn Book (Thu Aug 01 00:00:00 CDT 2013)

This large-trim book thoroughly and engagingly chronicles how architectural technologies and styles developed, presenting era-by-era examples, from prehistoric huts and Egyptian pyramids to the Bauhaus and Gehry's Guggenheim in Bilbao, Spain, to possible future trends. An informative paragraph about each period and/or movement precedes numbered captions pointing out specific features in the large, detailed illustration of the exemplary structure. Timeline. Glos.