After a short run of creepy books to ring in the Halloween season, I thought I'd step back and weave in some goodness from a few other directions. After all, we can't spend the entire month thinking of suspense, mystery, ghosts, witches, and more. (Or maybe, we can, but there are so many other amazing reads out there that I don't want you to miss out on!)
Today's read heads into the realm of architecture. I've had several nonfiction books on this topic this year, which makes me wonder if there's a rising interest in the field. Hmmmm.... Anyway, today's read caught my attention because it's supposedly formatted like a game and is aimed at beginning readers. So, I'm curious how this was put together and what sort of buildings and clues it holds. I'll admit that some of me wonders if this age group knows enough about architecture to guess certain buildings...unless it's centered on types of buildings, I guess. I'm thinking movie theaters, churches, or anything which might have certain aspects which stick out.
The best way to see what this book holds is to open it up and find out. So, let's do just that!
WHAT'S THAT BUILDING?
An Architectural Guessing Game
by Rebecca Donnelly
Illustrated by Jocelyn Cho
Phaidon Press
Children's Nonfiction
48 pages
ages 5 to 8
COMING OCTOBER 8th!!!
A playful introduction to design and architecture with cutaway scenes of ten buildings, featuring an interactive guessing game and search-and-find
In this interactive first book of architecture, children discover how architects design everyday buildings, from planetariums, aquariums, and airports to supermarkets and shopping malls, so that they best meet their users’ needs. Set up as a guessing game, the book presents clues that invite readers to guess which type of building is needed in 10 different scenarios. For example, what building do you need for students, teachers, and learning about science, history, and art? A school! Children continue the fun by looking for the hidden architect on each spread.
Answers are provided in dramatic cutaway reveals that are jam-packed with details that children will delight in. Each building is accompanied by informative yet whimsical text that explains its architectural and design features.
In this interactive first book of architecture, children discover how architects design everyday buildings, from planetariums, aquariums, and airports to supermarkets and shopping malls, so that they best meet their users’ needs. Set up as a guessing game, the book presents clues that invite readers to guess which type of building is needed in 10 different scenarios. For example, what building do you need for students, teachers, and learning about science, history, and art? A school! Children continue the fun by looking for the hidden architect on each spread.
Answers are provided in dramatic cutaway reveals that are jam-packed with details that children will delight in. Each building is accompanied by informative yet whimsical text that explains its architectural and design features.
MY TIDBITS
The very basics of architecture, creating buildings to satisfy certain purposes, are brought to the forefront in a simple and enjoyable guessing game.
It's time to learn about architecture, and unlike many books which look at ways to create structures or their importance, these pages head back to the first, architecture basics: building to fit a needed purpose. Ten types of buildings are highlighted, and readers use several clues to guess what 'type' of building is being hinted at. In this case, 'type' means the purpose of the building. Several clues are given on a two-page spread, and the next pages showcase the answer. Each of the shown buildings are places readers are familiar with. The clues are simple enough to ensure readers will be able guess almost every single one but some might take a little bit of thought to keep it interesting. Everything from schools to veterinarian clinics come into play.
Each page is brightly illustrated and features the cross-section of a building with several stories. The hints for each guessing round are written in a short line or two in each room, with one hint per area. When the solution follows on the next page, the rooms and building are packed with details to showcase all sorts of activities which happen in them. The written information, then, is placed in boxes around the building (on the outside) with each one highlighting one aspect, which makes the building special or important. While the text works nicely as a read-aloud for the intended age group, it also pushes those word skills a bit, and works better as a read-alone for those, who are sure of their words.
This is a fun way to edge kids into the realm of architecture. If nothing else, it demonstrates how each building is created to fulfill a purpose, giving readers a new perspective on how buildings are created. The guessing game adds fun to the information to keep it from growing dry and even works fine for group settings. This book also makes a lovely lead-in to a project, where readers can create their own buildings.
And here they are...
Rebecca Donnelly is the author of more than 30 children’s books, including the Indies Introduce/Kids’ Indie Next pick How to Stage a Catastrophe. Her nonfiction book Total Garbage: A Messy Dive into Trash, Waste, and Our World was a School Library Journal Best Book of 2023.
Jocelyn Cho is a San Francisco-based illustrator whose work spans a diverse range of publications, including school textbooks, fiction book covers, and magazines such as The Hollywood Reporter. This is her debut children’s book.
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