Frank, Who Liked to Build by Deborah Blumenthal and Maria Brzozowska - ADVISABLE

Frank, Who Liked to Build: The Architecture of Frank Gehry by Deborah Blumenthal, illustrated by Maria Brzozowska. BIOGRAPHY, PICTURE BOOK Kar-Ben Publishing (Lerner). 2022. $18. 9781541597624 

BUYING ADVISORY: EL (K-3), EL - ADVISABLE 

AUDIENCE APPEAL: AVERAGE 

When Frank Gehry was a boy, his grandmother would give him bits of wood to build with. His father called him a dreamer and thought he wouldn't amount to anything. This was discouraging for him, but he kept dreaming and playing with ideas. The buildings he would design were bent and curved and swam like fish. He would sketch, model and play and invent. Gehry's buildings are like no other - they don't even look like buildings, but, like the Guggenheim in Spain are some of the most beautiful architecture in the world. 

The story flows through the illustrations which are as creative as the architecture they are talking about. I loved the story, I loved the mixed-media representation of the buildings. The author's note contains photos of some of Gehry's works. A great addition to my short biography section. Gehry is Jewish Canadian 

Lisa Librarian