A clear view into an extraordinary achievement from a legendary architect.
A tour through the process, pitfalls, and ultimately successful 1989 debut of I.M. Pei’s redesign of the Louvre.
Chosen by France’s president for the project, the Chinese American architect initially keeps his commission secret, worried that the French will block the involvement of an outsider. Pei visits the Louvre repeatedly, noting drawbacks that visitors to the museum and staff alike encounter and pondering solutions. He studies Versailles’ gardens, focusing on their geometric forms, light, and water features. Harvey acknowledges Pei’s Chinese influences, highlighting childhood visits to Buddhist mountain retreats and his family’s ancestral garden in Suzhou. The French public’s initial resistance is overcome through Pei’s press interviews, an in-situ, life-size mock-up of the bold design, and the Paris mayor’s approval. The courtyard’s 71-foot-tall glass pyramid, whose clear panes allow views of the existing edifice, is a portal leading visitors logically to the museum’s three wings. Pei’s bold design embodies both his sensitive approach to functional public spaces and his modernist vision. Harvey’s narrative features clear exposition, interspersing intriguing details about the discovery of an ancient subterranean castle and moat and the installation and cleaning of the pyramid’s 673 glass panes. Le’s illustrations deftly juxtapose old and new: childhood scenes in pre-urban China, Pei’s notably sleek buildings, and the contrast between the pyramid and the Louvre’s centuries-old facades.
A clear view into an extraordinary achievement from a legendary architect. (information on architects, biographical note, STEM connections, selected sources, video resources) (Picture-book biography. 4-8)Pub Date: May 27, 2025
ISBN: 9781665953337
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Atheneum
Review Posted Online: Feb. 1, 2025
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 1, 2025
A supplemental rather than introductory book on the great artist.
Frida Kahlo’s strong affection for and identification with animals form the lens through which readers view her life and work in this picture-book biography.
Each two-page spread introduces one or more of her pets, comparing her characteristics to theirs and adding biographical details. Confusingly for young readers, the beginning pages reference pets she owned as an adult, yet the illustrations and events referred to come from earlier in her life. Bonito the parrot perches in a tree overlooking young Frida and her family in her childhood home and pops up again later, just before the first mention of Diego Rivera. Granizo, the fawn, another pet from her adult years, is pictured beside a young Frida and her father along with a description of “her life as a little girl.” The author’s note adds important details about Kahlo’s life and her significance as an artist, as well as recommending specific paintings that feature her beloved animals. Expressive acrylic paintings expertly evoke Kahlo’s style and color palette. While young animal lovers will identify with her attachment to her pets and may enjoy learning about the Aztec origins of her Xolo dogs and the meaning of turkeys in ancient Mexico, the book may be of most interest to those who already have an interest in Kahlo’s life.
A supplemental rather than introductory book on the great artist. (Picture book/biography. 4-8)Pub Date: Sept. 5, 2017
ISBN: 978-0-7358-4269-4
Page Count: 40
Publisher: NorthSouth
Review Posted Online: June 18, 2017
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 1, 2017
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
Blandly inspirational fare made to evoke equally shrink-wrapped responses.
An NBA star pays tribute to the influence of his grandfather.
In the same vein as his Long Shot (2009), illustrated by Frank Morrison, this latest from Paul prioritizes values and character: “My granddad Papa Chilly had dreams that came true,” he writes, “so maybe if I listen and watch him, / mine will too.” So it is that the wide-eyed Black child in the simply drawn illustrations rises early to get to the playground hoops before anyone else, watches his elder working hard and respecting others, hears him cheering along with the rest of the family from the stands during games, and recalls in a prose afterword that his grandfather wasn’t one to lecture but taught by example. Paul mentions in both the text and the backmatter that Papa Chilly was the first African American to own a service station in North Carolina (his presumed dream) but not that he was killed in a robbery, which has the effect of keeping the overall tone positive and the instructional content one-dimensional. Figures in the pictures are mostly dark-skinned. (This book was reviewed digitally.)
Blandly inspirational fare made to evoke equally shrink-wrapped responses. (Picture book. 6-8)Pub Date: Jan. 10, 2023
ISBN: 978-1-250-81003-8
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Roaring Brook Press
Review Posted Online: Sept. 27, 2022
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Oct. 15, 2022
BOOK REVIEW
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