Great Buildings

Children's Literature - Kathleen Karr

Part of "The Nature Company Discoveries" series, this volume was originally conceived and produced in Australia. It follows the now standard format popularized by the "Eyewitness" books: two-page spreads replete with sidebars, photos and illustrations; brief essays on each period, chronologically arranged. There is certainly a lot to be learned about the history of architecture in these pages, from Grecian column styles to the reason for onion domes on Russian churches (so the heavy snows can slide off, without damaging the structure.) Still, this thirty-second commercial approach to knowledge begins to leave one longing for more thoughtful, in-depth analyses of the subjects.

School Library Journal

Gr 5-8This handsome, oversized book features 26 buildings on double-page (and one 4-page-foldout) spreads. The arrangement is generally chronological. Among the structures included are a Trobriand woven hut; a Mayan pyramid in Mexico; the Ishtar Gate, Babylon; the Baths of Caracalla; a Hindu temple in India; a Buddhist shrine in Indonesia; the Hall of Supreme Harmony, Beijing; Horyuji Temple Complex, Japan; Hagia Sophia; the Alhambra; a Norwegian stave church; Conway Castle, Wales; Notre Dame Cathedral, Paris; St. Peter's, Rome; Versailles; the Amalienburg; the Chrysler Building and Guggenheim Museum, New York City; Casa Mil, Barcelona; the Toronto SkyDome; and Sydney Opera House. They are beautifully presented in full-color photos or drawings, often with cutaway views showing construction and pointers indicating interesting aspects. Related structures are shown in smaller pictures. Each chapter contains a boxed related concept, such as the development of the arch. A world map locating the featured structures is included. While the text contains no more information than can be found in an encyclopedia article, the wonderful illustrations make this an excellent supplemental purchase to titles such as Philip Wilkinson's Amazing Buildings (DK, 1993) and Giovanni Caselli's Wonders of the World (DK, 1992).Pam Gosner, formerly at Maplewood Memorial Library, NJ