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Gargoyles, Girders and Glass Houses

Bo Zaunders

Illustrated by Roxie Munro

Non-Fiction Picture Book

Ages 8 to 12

Penguin Books, 2004, 0-525-47284-3

  There are so many extraordinary buildings in the world that it is hard to decide which of them should be singled out for special mention. In this fascinating book the author and his wife, who is the illustrator, chose to highlight the work of seven exceptional architects and builders. They chose Brunelleschi’s dome in Florence, the mosques of Sinan, the work of Antonio Francisco Lisboa, the Brooklyn Bridge, the Eiffel Tower, Antoni Gaudi’s remarkable creations, and the Chrysler Building.

  Filippo Brunelleschi was not a builder at all. He was a goldsmith. In those days in Florence goldsmiths were greatly respected and in addition to making jewelry they did many other things, including designing tombs and shrines. Brunelleschi was fascinated by the buildings that the Roman’s built and he studied than at length. It was these studies which helped him to figure out how to build the dome of Santa Maria del Fiore. The rest of the gracious church had been built over a period of a hundred years or so, but now the time had come to complete the building with an enormous dome. This Brunelleschi did, designing special hoists for the purpose and coming up with all kinds of innovations to make the dome both beautiful and structurally sound. Most amazing of all was that in the years that it took to complete the dome, only two workers were injured – a remarkable feat considering how dangerous the construction site had been.

  Antoni Gaudi was a very different kind of man. He drew his inspiration from nature and he had no time for straight lines. Hence his buildings were curvaceous and full of fluid ripples, circles, and ovals. The people of his hometown of Barcelona did not know what to think at first when he updated a building in such a way that it looked like something from another planet. Oval windows, a glittery multicolored façade, and “scalelike” tiles on the roof really made the house stand out from its neighbors. This was only one of his fabulous creations, the last of which, a cathedral, was never completely finished but which is nevertheless, an extraordinary building.

  In this singular title the author and illustrator have chosen to describe some remarkable architectural marvels. The chapters are presented in chronological order and readers not only learn about how the structures were created, but they also learn a good deal about the men who dreamed them up, and about the times which influenced their design features.

  Beautifully illustrated throughout, this title is a joy to read and to look at.

 

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