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Fallingwater: The Building of Frank Lloyd Wright's Masterpiece by Marc Harshman, Anna Egan Smucker
engpunk77's review
4.0
A lovely picture book about the inspiration for, the building of, and the legacy of Frank Lloyd Wright's "house like no other" in western PA. Years ago, I had passed Fallingwater on my way to spending the day at Ohiopyle several times, but I never had an interest in seeing the house. After learning more about Wright over the years and the appearance of the famous domicile in a fictionalized future (the Scythe series by Neal Shusterman), I decided to add it to my travel bucket list. I'm sorry that I didn't stop to see it the many times I was in the area.
Readers learn that the house was designed to appear as if it had grown out of the natural landscape in which it exists, appearing to float over the waterfall, made out of the same natural materials as surrounds it as if it truly is just an extension of the natural environment. I loved the images and rich imagery created by the word choice as well as the illustrations. For example, the authors compare the scaffolding used during construction to "branches extending from a tree" spreading "its spindly legs"...
It's a lovely picture book, and it leaves the reader desperate to see the entirety of the house. If western PA school children visit this site as a field trip, this book would be the ultimate read-aloud to garner excitement but also to be used as a study in language arts. Themes include having a dream and seeing that it comes to fruition, working together, and how an artist/architect works.
Readers learn that the house was designed to appear as if it had grown out of the natural landscape in which it exists, appearing to float over the waterfall, made out of the same natural materials as surrounds it as if it truly is just an extension of the natural environment. I loved the images and rich imagery created by the word choice as well as the illustrations. For example, the authors compare the scaffolding used during construction to "branches extending from a tree" spreading "its spindly legs"...
It's a lovely picture book, and it leaves the reader desperate to see the entirety of the house. If western PA school children visit this site as a field trip, this book would be the ultimate read-aloud to garner excitement but also to be used as a study in language arts. Themes include having a dream and seeing that it comes to fruition, working together, and how an artist/architect works.
mrs_mazzola_reads's review
3.0
The illustrations are gorgeous, but the book seems to be more about the message of following your dreams than it was about the actual architecture. I was hoping for more information about the actual building process.
jmshirtz's review
4.0
I picked this up because I love [a: LeUyen Pham|65333|LeUyen Pham|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1358278503p2/65333.jpg]'s work. While this is very different than the super adorable children she usually draws, it was still captivating and interesting to see another side of her illustrations. The writing was a little awkward, particularly the beginning.
tashrow's review against another edition
4.0
This picture book focuses on just one on Frank Lloyd Wright’s buildings, Fallingwater. It looks at the process that Wright used to design the building, from viewing the site itself to thinking for a very long time about what he would design. It was at the very last moment that Wright actually put the design on paper so that the owner of the site could see his vision. That vision came to life in Fallingwater, where you can hear the waterfall from every room in the house, stand outside on the balconies, and the floor feels like rocks in a streambed. All of these details will help children better understand the architectural process and how it begins with a vision and idea. The illustrations have a lovely vintage sepia tone and feel with the blue water of the site flowing from page to page, swirling and enlivening the images. A lovely and focused look at a famous architect’s work, this picture book is inspiring. Appropriate for ages 6-9.
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