The Story of Buildings by Patrick Dillon, illustrated by Stephen Biesty, 96 pp, RL 4

While The Story of Buildings kicks off with the Pyramid of Djoser, Dillon and Biesty take readers on a tour that mostly focuses on Greater European landmarks like the Parthenon, Notre Dame, Villa Rotonda, Vaux-le-Vicomte, Melk Abbey, the Crystal Palace, the Bauhaus and the Pompidou Center. But he also features Hagia Sofia, the Taj Mahal, the Forbidden City, the Chrysler Building and the Sydney Opera House. Two page spreads featuring individual buildings have one or two half-page gatefolds that add to the information, focusing on building styles, terminology and interesting facts.
The chapters featuring buildings are interspersed with chapters that cover the historical, cultural and social aspects of various time periods that gives an overview of the movements and thinking that resulted in each unique building. The Greeks and the Romans are featured along with chapters on the Renaissance and the Baroque in Europe. There are also chapters on "Living in the Past," "Modern Buildings," "The International Style" and a final chapter on the Straw Bale House with the title, "Think Before You Build" that is a wonderful conclusion to the vast scope of architecture presented. With a gentle hand, Dillon points out that, while we are still asking the same questions that the first builders asked when they set out to create a shelter, today we "have to ask some new questions as well" and learn to "make buildings that harm the earth less."
The Story of Buildings is a magnificent book, both for the overview of information collected within as well as Dillon's straightforward presentation and ability to focus on what will appeal to young readers most, but it is Biesty's intricate, crisp illustrations that will draw readers - even those who are not year able to read the text - to this wonderful book and hook them!
Source: Review Copy