When we read about or think of ripping off walls or a roof from a massive structure, when we envision buildings with their "guts" revealed, catastrophes come to mind. At least to my mind. Scenes from tornadoes or bombings or earthquakes are the ones that generally allow a birds-eye view from above, or slice off an exterior wall to expose the interiors. A happier image of inside looks comes from those amazing and lively scenes in ant farms, little plastic-sided sandy habitats with small colonies of ants. They provide up-close peeks at the complex tunnels and purposes and comings and goings of a society whose workings we would otherwise never see. Here's a book that allows a virtual analogy of human ant farms allowing inside looks at the structures supporting our busy lives.
 |
| PHAIDON, 2025 |
WHAT'S THAT BUILDING? AN ARCHITECTURAL GUESSING GAME is a substantial book that offers young readers (and the rest of us) a portal to the interior designs and functions of many public structures in community. The oversized, high-quality design and materials of this clever book make it ideal for readers ages 5-8, as it claims to be. But I'd bet my last nickel that if it were placed on a table around kids of any age, or on a coffee table for adults, it would quickly be found and explored by folks much older than that. And when shared with younger kids in groups or on a lap, it is likely to become a favorite as well.
Think about those ant farms. Gaining a close-up view of the inner workings of places that we thought we knew is utterly irresistible. With such excellent appeal and execution of the concept, the authors and illustrator have elevated a strong offering even further. Author Rebecca Donnelly demonstrated her skill at delving into the innards of things in prior publications (trash and catastrophes, among others) while illustrator Jocelyn Cho has produced a high bar for her debut children's book illustration. The combination of accuracy, perspective, scale, and detail hint at her prior experiences in illustrations for covers, text books, and magazines. The non-human elements within each building are precisely, uniquely rendered, as are the varied and busy humans. Reader/gamers will find themselves as deeply immersed in this book as they would be in a video game- if not more so!
So what exactly is this book? Hmmm. It might be easier to say what it does and how it does it. The publisher's promotions emphasize how interactive it is, and that's true. The subtitle labels it as a game book, and it provides plenty of opportunities to play with the images and concepts. Full spread views of the innards of various public structures (library, school, aquarium, museum, bakery, veterinary clinic, and many more) could have been the beginning and end of this book and it still would have been a winner. There are info-blurbs and prompts for each location, views of areas as preview insets of the full design and structure, along with views of hidden spaces for infrastructure, non-public working spaces, and more. The facilities are teeming with lives of every age, ability, identity, interest, and purpose for being there. The scales signage, pictures, and other components place familiar elements and sightings within a scope and continuity that gives things deeper purpose and understanding.
The overall sprawling image is laid out on background graph paper as used in architecture or mechanical drawing. Each facility view also offers a bonus search- locating a tiny (but to scale) architect who is working within each location. A line-sketch of that characters is offered to scaffold success, but it will certainly not jump out at readers of any age, nor will these icons of professionals at work draw the eye when rereading the book because each is so effectively embedded. I particularly liked this because A) kids LOVE a search-and-find game, and B) each example seemed, to me, to be organic and purposeful within the scene. I'm convinced that readers/viewer/solvers will want to imagine what exactly the particular architect in each building might be doing there. The integration of careers and families and education and community in these working buildings make this material excellent examples of real-world social studies, math, science, engineering, literacy, and more.
 |
| WHAT'S THAT BUILDING? Phaidon, 2025, Interiors |
With that said, the book is actually much more than that, thanks to writing, illustrating, and design that engage with the readers (gamers) on full spreads BEFORE they turn the page to the skin-off models of structures. The prompts, cues, and questions spreads are laid out in simple text on geometric color blocks. Small segments of the eventual full views are framed in response to the queries posed. There's appeal in locating their eventual placement as well as in seeing them in relation to the full function of the structure in operation. A simple glossary page in back explains terminology that are occasionally used (in bold) throughout. The patterns and familiarity/repetition of this format increases confidence and enthusiasm for this interactive book.
It's hard for me to imagine kids who wouldn't t dive into this book, repeatedly, entertaining themselves while learning in the best possible way- having fun! If you know anyone (any age) who instinctively claims cardboard, scrap paper, tape, and odds and ends to build structures or roadways or more, his book is for them. (Unless we are speaking of cats- who are equally obsessed with various random pieces of paper and cardboard. I do not feel qualified to recommend this book for cats.)
The publisher, PHAIDON, sent me a copy without a promise of a review. Their books for kids are consistently excellent in physical production (paper and color quality, durability, design) so I was very pleased but not surprised to find this delightful, challenging, and engaging book sums one I can support. With holidays coming I'll purchase several more copies for gifts. Something you might want to consider, too.
No comments:
Post a Comment