Reviews (1)

Useful for the student
This is an excellent sourcebook for the student seeking to understand how the California Missions were decorated. Neuerburg, who restored many paintings at San Juan Bautista, carefully describes the details of classic mission churches. Photographs and paintings of now lost works of Mission art make this a valuable resource for those assigned to build and decorate a model Mission as a Fourth Grade California History assignment. ... Read more

Book Description

"Why did churches have steeples?," "Who wore platform shoes?," and "Did people take baths?" are just some of the tricky questions answered in this delightful book about long ago. ... Read more

Reviews (2)

I wonder why there were no Jews in the Middle Ages
The illustrations are wonderful. The language is simple enough for even my not-quite-four-year-old to answer. But every culture in the world, from Incas to Arabs to Englishmen, get at least one illustration and one explanation. There's an illustration of a church, a minaret and a Moslem school. The word "Jew" appears in the book twice. You're kidding, right? Apparently, all cultures in the world, including ones that sacrificed children, are equal except for the Jewish one. Ironically, Jews were a strong presence in the Middle Ages throughout the world, so the omission is glaring, and offensive.

Excellent picture book for a peek into the middle ages!
Both my children (ages four and nine) love this book! It has great visuals and excellent explantions about questions kids ask. Of course, they loved reading about how people didn't bath and threw their waste out the windows! They argue over who gets to read it in the car. We paid much more for the book in England! I would also recommend this book for older students (grades 4-8) with limited reading abilities ... Read more

Book Description

Have you ever felt squashed? Squeezed? Pulled? Tugged? If so, then you know what it feels like to be a building! Here, with playful drawings and humorous text, award-winning author Forrest Wilson uses human figures (plus some dogs and rams) to show that architecture and people have more in common than you might have believed. This book will delight everyone who is fascinated with the buildings around us. ... Read more

Reviews (1)

What DOES it Feel Like to be a Building?
This book conveys some very complex engineering concepts in a way so clear and concise that even my second-graders understood them. It's not just for the littles, either -- it's excellent for opening up avenues of discussion and exploration for older children as well. This is an excellent companion book to the Architecture And Children program, or any course of study that requires an understanding of the concepts of structure and function. A gem! ... Read more

Book Description

Much of what we know of life among the inhabitants of North America before the arrival of Europeans comes from mounds in the southeastern U.S. However, there is much debate among scholars about the findings. Excavations show sophisticated cities, large effigy mounds, centers of worship, and possibly, vast earthwork calendars. Objects found in the mounds and burial sites provide graphic information about how these ancient people lived. ... Read more

Reviews (1)

A fasinating story, like all of her other stories!
This book is a fasinating child's book with spectacular pictures os skyscrapers.Ryan Ann Hunter has written other wonderful books such as Cross a Bridge and Dig a Tunnel.I took one look at this book and boughtit for my six year old daughter.I would recommend this book to anyonewho's son or daughter is interested in building orartitecture.I givethis bookfive stars!!!!! ... Read more

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Famous Artists: Matisse
As a parent and volunteer educator, this book and the others in this series provide excellent age appropriate material and interesting facts about the most important artists.The book offers great visuals, with manyideas for looking at art with youngsters.Even the exercises are easy andsuccessful.The format is busy, but eyecatching and informative.I amordering the whole series! ... Read more

Book Description

The White House. The Washington Monument. The Lincoln Memorial. The Jefferson Memorial. The Capitol building. These structures define and glorify our nation's history and stand today as towering symbols of architectural achievement. However the tale behind their construction is often left untold. Brought to life by Lynn Curlee, the story of the emergence of our capital city is one that is both moving and awe-inspiring.

In Capital, Mr. Curlee explores the forces behind, and the people working for, the creation of these monuments, detailing the brilliance, agony, and creative spirit that went into them. With extraordinary paintings and a moving narrative, he revitalizes the history of Washington, D.C., and the growth of a nation, for young readers. ... Read more

Reviews (1)

An informative tutorial for older picture book readers
Simon & Schuster continues to lead the flag-waving wave of children's books with "Capital," the publisher's latest patriotic primer. An informative tutorial geared for older picture book readers, "Capital" is a no-nonsense mini-text book decorated with colorful illustrations, renderings and maps. With years of scholarly research behind him as an art historian, author/illustrator Lynn Curlee takes a suitably serious approach. Though not chaptered, his book is clearly and concisely structured. First, Curlee gives an overview of the five great structures at the heart of the United States capital city, the "bustling metropolis of Washington, D.C." - namely, the White House, George Washington Monument, Abraham Lincoln Memorial, Thomas Jefferson Memorial, and the domed U.S. Capitol building - then proceeds to take a closer look at each one individually and chronologically. This is a fully fleshed account, with at least twice the text of the average non-fiction picture book, so no details are skimped, and the reader is never cheated with sketchy shortcuts. Amid the larger story, sections are peppered with interesting and memorable details such as the fact that future president Thomas Jefferson entered - and lost - a competition to design the original White House, then called the President's House. Curlee's bold, pristine paintings of buildings, settings and key figures architectural are highly stylized, yet accurately rendered to pay respect to the subjects, particularly the architectural details that are discussed in accompanying text. And at the very end, an author's note conveniently outlines the difference between "capitol," "Capitol" and "capital," which will surely aid conversations repeated again and again by teachers, students and most readers...including the book's editors who surely had an interesting proofreading task. ... Read more

Reviews (1)

Compelling, packed with detail
Thomas Owens' Football Stadiums will delight any football fan and will reach beyond its intended advanced elementary-grade level into adult readers, surveying the building of stadiums and the underlying influences on their locations and operations. While the subject may not lend to classroom study, leisure readers with a passion for the sport will find this compelling, packed with detail. ... Read more

Reviews (1)

Best I've seen
Barter's book on the Tower of Pisa is the only comprehensive book I could find on the tower and is a fascinating history. Barter provides a thorough history of medieval bell towers and defense towers followed by a detailed history of how the tower was constructed, why the tower leans, and what is currently being done to stop the lean.

Read this book before visiting Pisa! ... Read more

Reviews (3)

Appreciating the sculptures and paintings of Michelangelo
Jen Green's introduction to the life and work of Michelangelo is at something of a disadvantage compared to other volumes in the Famous Artists series because he was both a painter and a sculptor, although there is also a spread on his work as an architect as well. Ultimately Green focuses more on Michelangelo as a sculptor, looking at his Bacchus, Pieta, and David works before looking at the painting of the Sistine Chapel (the reproductions of these paintings unfortunately predate the remarkable restoration efforts). Ironically, in terms of explaining Michelangelo's distinct style, Green has much more success dealing with the painter than the sculptor. The political climate of the time is also dealt with, since perhaps no other artist in history worked at the whim of patrons and popes more than Michelangelo.

The strength of the Famous Artists series remains its emphasis on allowing young readers to experiment with the techniques of particular artists through the use of hands-on projects (e.g., proportion, composition, carving in relief) as well as by providing preliminary sketches and materials to show the artistic process at work. Each two-page spread features an illustration of the artist's home or environment, the continuing story of the Michelangelo's life, details and examples of the his work at that particular time, and a feature on the artist's technique with practical projects to try. Often there are enlargements of key parts of the work and there is always a symbol indicating the size of the work relative to a human being. As a general rule, these are excellent books for providing readers, young and old alike, with a basic art appreciation introduction to the world's greatest artists.

great value, great text
Hughes gives a lot of info in a short book, and paints a very well balanced idea of Michelangelo the man. I felt bad for
Buonaratti after reading this. He truly was a miserable man, yet his committment to his art was never diminished for a moment. In the end the story of his life is inspiring and humbling. Inspiring because it proves what man can acheive, humbling in the sacrifices that were made in order to fulfill his destiny as one of the great geniuses to have ever lived.

Great Layout, Great Content
Firstly, I was thoughroughly impressed by the quality of this little book. The layout of the pages, the quality of the paper, everything. I'm glad to report that the content matches its presentation: Very clean, clear text featuring an unbiased look at Michelangelo's life. The book often cites former biographers (specifically Vasari and Condivi) and more often than not, it tries to find the right history. Very good illustrations of his more famous artwork as well as some drawings. Excellent! ... Read more

Book Description

Inside Story - A Medieval Cathedral takes you back in time to learn how some of the most magnificent structures in Europe were built. Through beautiful illustrations and thoroughly researched information, you will learn how Medieval cathedrals were built, what life was like for the workers, where the stone for the cathedrals was prepared, how cathedrals have evolvedfrom the Medieval times to today, and more. ... Read more

Book Description

In 1961, the German city of Berlin became ground zero in the struggle between the Communist and democratic worlds when Communist East Germany began building a wall to divide the city in half.The 100-mile Berlin Wall created an awful, if awesome, scar across the landscape of Germany's capital.The efforts of the East German authorities to plan and build this barrier were matched only by the continuing exertions of East German citizens to go over, under, and around it. ... Read more