The school year may be over, but reading is a year-round activity. Take some time this summer to introduce your kiddo, or grandchild, or even a neighborhood youngster to the world of architecture via one of these lovely little books about what’s involved in being an architect.
IGGY PECK, ARCHITECT
by Andrea Beaty, illustrated by David Roberts
Iggy Peck loves architecture, loves to build. But his second grade teacher has a differing opinion and insists on no architecture in her classroom! A field trip into the woods and a collapsed footbridge lead young Iggy to imagine and then construct a solution that has his teacher giving the built environment a second chance.
(Also by Andrea Beaty, check out Rosie Revere, Engineer, the story of a young inventor who faces the obstacle of perceived failure and learns the importance of not quitting.)
GOODNIGHT, GOODNIGHT CONSTRUCTION SITE
by Sherri Duskey Rinker, illustrated by Tom Lichtenheld
When I was growing up, I was fascinated by construction vehicles. I would dig and mix and play with my Tonka trucks just like I had seen passing construction sites. It’s no wonder I grew up loving buildings, and the processes of construction. It is still as fun for me today. Goodnight, Goodnight Construction Site is a book I’ve read to younger cousins and captures the fun of what I love most about architecture – the process of creation in a job well done. I’m sure you and your loved ones will enjoy this wonderful children’s book as much as I have with my family. -Josh Harter, AIA, LEED AP BD+C
YOUNG FRANK, ARCHITECT
by Frank Viva
What makes something ‘architecture’? It’s a big question, but this book meets it, head-on. Young Frank is a designer who lives with his grandfather, Old Frank, also an architect, but he doesn’t see the value in his younger counterpart’s ideas and designs, discarding them as not “real”. The pair go to the Museum of Modern Art to get a lesson on what “real” architects build and they are quickly schooled on the wide and varying works, from buildings to parks to chairs, and more. This is a lovely book that explores the breadth of what an architect can do and the importance of keeping an open mind while doing it.
ROBERTO, THE INSECT ARCHITECT
by Nina Laden
This little bug has big dreams of becoming an architect (following after architectural greats Hank Floyd Mite and Fleas van der Rohe) but his family is less than supportive. Roberto sets off for the big city and finds a community of like-minded creatures who encourage his creativity to build. A great book about following your dreams full of humor and creepy-crawly collage illustrations.