13 Buildings Children Should Know Read Free Books and Download eBooks
The world's most iconic buildings are made accessible and exciting for young readers in this colorful introduction to architecture that changed the world.Children’s fascination with buildings is a natural outgrowth of their curiosity about anything strange or huge or complex. This unique book brings together thirteen architectural wonders that have intrigued children for years. Through activities such as games, quizzes, drawings and other activities, it teaches them the history behind each of the buildings, and presents fascinating facts about the design, historical use, and construction techniques. This book features pyramids built by men with pulleys, a tower that leans, an opera house shaped like a sailboat, a museum built like a spiral, and the most recent example, a “bird’s nest” stadium where the 2008 summer Olympics were held. Each of these buildings and more are introduced to young readers through lively texts and illustrations that will serve to heighten their interest and knowledge about the world’s most important architecture, and perhaps inspire them to dream and build on their own.
Series: Children Should Know
Hardcover: 48 pages
Publisher: Prestel (April 23, 2009)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 3791341715
ISBN-13: 978-3791341712
Product Dimensions: 0.5 x 9.8 x 11.2 inches
Shipping Weight: 1.3 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars See all reviews (26 customer reviews)
Best Sellers Rank: #276,978 in Books (See Top 100 in Books) #73 in Books > Children's Books > Arts, Music & Photography > Architecture #822 in Books > Children's Books > Arts, Music & Photography > Art
Age Range: 9 - 12 years
Grade Level: 6 - 7
I bought this book for my 6 year old twins. I was very happy to see that the book had only two-three pages about each building and really great pictures. Other books on the topic had way too much info that the kids find 'boring' to sit through. My goal was to get them interested in architecture before stuffing them with all the info that they'd eventually forget. I used to read other books ahead of time, select only what I thought they could take in and read it to them, but now, I don't have to do it. I still skip some parts, but it's easy as the text is not heavy at all. The next time we read the book I select what I skipped the first time and the kids are still interested! I have art history background and find the information the book provides is excatly what kids need to know to be well-rounded individuals and it is also a good start for the future art (architecture) historians. The kids loved the weblinks to go to and see the tour of the building online.
The problem with "children's books" is, there's a narrow range of age-appropriateness... I do agree that this book is perfect for the pre-teen aspiring architect, but I was looking for an illustrated book for my 3-year-old to identify important buildings, from a cultural literacy standpoint. Something along the lines of the excellent "Museum ABC" series, with big color pictures like the beautiful ones on the cover! The inside photos were smaller and had less impact alongside line drawings and floorplans. The activities were interesting but of course my daughter is too young to complete them (design the world's tallest building, etc). However, I expect by the time she's 10, the type of descriptive info included in this book will be too cursory. I personally found the text uninspiring, though I did learn a few things, and I appreciated the contextual timeline running across the top of the pages.The buildings featured in this book are: - Great Pyramid of Giza - Parthenon - Notre Dame de Paris - Leaning Tower of Pisa - Tower of London - Saint Peter's Basilica - Taj Mahal - Neuschwanstein Castle - Eiffel Tower - Chrysler Building - Guggenheim Museum New York - Sydney Opera House - Beijing National StadiumAll good picks except the last one. Olympic architecture doesn't stand the test of time and I don't think anyone will care about "The Bird's Nest" 10 years from now, but sites like Angkor Wat and the Burj Dubai Tower will still be "Buildings You Should Know".As for my daughter being able to recognize iconic landmarks, I also purchased the "Monumental Moves" game that includes 32 famous monuments (7 overlap with this book). That's worked out a bit better since she can handle and inspect the detailed sculptured pieces.
My son expressed interest in being an architect, so a friend of ours in the field recommended this. My son is 11 and loved this book!
My 9 year old loved this book. The descriptions were short enough to keep him interested and long enough to really get him curious. He would then run to the computer to find out more. I would say any 6 - 12 year old that loves building would love this book.
The kids really enjoyed reading and learning about the different buildings and architectural styles. They also liked going online to do virtual tours of the buildings but there are a lot of tough words and names in the book that they struggled with. I did this book with a group of 5th graders that are slightly behind their peers. We paired it with Sky Boys which they loved.
I purchased this book to have on hand for our grandchildren - in 2nd, 4th & 5th grades. The photographs & descriptions are well done. Our grandson, in 2nd grade, enjoyed reading about the pyramids & the Great Wall. I'm sure the others will pick it up when they come over.
I've been using this book with my 4 year old son. I have to paraphrase a lot of it for him since it's a little advanced for his age. We both really enjoy reading it though and I think it's a great book for teaching (even small) children about famous buildings and other countries. - I like using it to make some of the countries I show him on his map cards more real to him, showing him some of the famous landmarks and/or buildings in these places.
We are using this book as a starting point for art history, geography and history discussions in our homeschool curriculum. The format is excellent (the timeline at the top of the pages does a great job of placing each building in time) and the informational amount is perfect. There is always room to add to the information presented based on each child's interests and preferences. The Tower of London presentation was a perfect starting point for our discussion of the Saxon-Norman conflict, Norman conquest and early British history.The quality of the book (in terms of paper, sturdiness, colors, etc.)is wonderful also and well worth the price. We plan to use some of the other books in this series!
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