The Story Of Buildings: From The Pyramids To The Sydney Opera House And Beyond Read Free Books and Download eBooks
Aspiring architects will be in their element! Explore this illustrated narrative history of buildings for young readers, an amazing construction in itself.We spend most of our lives in buildings. We make our homes in them. We go to school in them. We work in them. But why and how did people start making buildings? How did they learn to make them stronger, bigger, and more comfortable? Why did they start to decorate them in different ways? From the pyramid erected so that an Egyptian pharaoh would last forever to the dramatic, machine-like Pompidou Center designed by two young architects, Patrick Dillon’s stories of remarkable buildings — and the remarkable people who made them — celebrates the ingenuity of human creation. Stephen Biesty’s extraordinarily detailed illustrations take us inside famous buildings throughout history and demonstrate just how these marvelous structures fit together.
Lexile Measure: 1060L (What's this?)
Hardcover: 96 pages
Publisher: Candlewick (March 11, 2014)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0763669903
ISBN-13: 978-0763669904
Product Dimensions: 10.1 x 0.7 x 11.6 inches
Shipping Weight: 2.2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars See all reviews (38 customer reviews)
Best Sellers Rank: #21,659 in Books (See Top 100 in Books) #5 in Books > Children's Books > Arts, Music & Photography > Architecture #87 in Books > Children's Books > Arts, Music & Photography > Art
Age Range: 9 - 12 years
Grade Level: 4 - 7
"Buildings are far more than piles of brick or frames of steel, because every one, no matter how large or small, carries the dreams of the people who made it." I loved this book because it told the story of many beautiful buildings, and brought to life the dreams of those who created these buildings. These stories are written in a simple and engaging manner meant for the junior reader, but which also charmed this grownup. The illustrations are extremely beautiful and meticulous, and explain the features of buildings that contributed to their builders' dreams. I learned how buildings can be both aesthetic and purposeful. A wonderful book for kids and grownups alike!
The Story of Buildings is a gorgeous hardcover book that measures approximately 12" x 10". Picking it up for the first time, it looked a bit like a coffee table book for kids, which I guess it could be used as such. The book begins with a chapter on building a house. The author, Patrick Dillon, describes how people used to live in caves because it was the most logical shelter choice available, but eventually developed tools and learned how to make homes. According to him, this is the story of buildings. He then goes on to show how dwelling places have changed both over the years and depending on where one lived. After this other types of structures came into being, like barns, factories, places of worship, etc. He stresses that "Every building has a story to tell." We then dive into the heart of the book.The remaining chapters focus on a particular building, starting with the Pyramid of Djoser and ending with the Straw Bale House in London, England. Each chapter tells background information on the place the building is located, the culture/people, and the building itself. A large foldout 2 page illustration is then provided to show finer details of the building itself. The book has a nice flow to it, because it's like reading a linear evolution of buildings. He starts with Egypt, moves to Greece, then Rome, etc. and manages to paint a beautiful picture with words to accompany the many beautiful illustrations by Stephen Biesty. This is a great book for children and adults alike and reminds me of David Macaulay's books. This is a great book for getting kids interested in architecture and engineering.
As a lifelong fan of Stephen Biesty whose bought every book he's illustrated since "Incredible Cross-Sections," I was somewhat disappointed by this book. It provides a decent, although Western-biased, introduction to architecture, starting with the Pyramid of Djoser, and ending with the Pompidou Center in Paris. Patrick Dillon's writing is frequently engaging and does a fine job describing the history of each of the buildings shown within. Unfortunately, Stephen Biesty's artwork is easily the weakest of his career. The building cut-aways, while presented as large fold-outs, are often very sparsely detailed, rather drab looking, and lacking the human detail that makes Biesty's artwork so fascinating.I'm sure smart kids will love this book, but as an adult who still loves Stephen Biesty, I was a little let down.
Good book about buildings - nice, but limited and elementary, history of the buildings featured. This was a gift for 12-year old interested in "building things" and architecture, so he loved it. As an adult and architect myself I found it interesting and well done for 4th thru 8th grades. Maybe applicable for older young adults and even adults, but pretty basic stuff if you know anything about buildings.The drawings are all isometrics and axonometrics - all pretty much cut from the same cloth. The consistency is nice for beginners, but loses its punch on about the fourth or fifth building. Again, great for elementary, a little too basic for older young adults. Nonetheless, great for our intentions.purchased July 2015
This book has beautiful illustrations and wonderful anecdotes about all the buildings it highlights. My husband and I have enjoyed it as much as the grandchildren it was given to (6 and 8 years old).
I teach preschool children, so the grade level was a lot higher than their ability level, yet I absolutely loved learning how complex structures were created throughout civilization. This book would be great for school age children, and teachers who love to read and learn about an eclectic array of subjects.
This is a beautiful and interesting book. I bought it for my 10-year old grandson who has spoken of wanting to be an archetect. He is a very good reader, but I can see him using this book more for research projects, rather than sitting down and reading it. It will be interesting how he likes it.
You won't find a better book than this for young readers on buildings and how they are constructed. The illustrations are wonderful and the content is very, very informative. This book is so good I'm saving it for my own library and will share it with any youngster who indicates he or she wants to learn more about the ins and outs of building construction. Patrick Dillon does a very thorough job and the narrative is very readable. BRAVO!Book supplied by publisher.
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