Atlas of Amazing Architecture

'Packed with child-friendly details on lesser-known buildings, this work takes a colorful, fun look at global architecture, happily eschewing an outsize focus on Europe and North America. It features familiar types of buildings, giving readers an entry point to the work, but by showcasing places that readers will not likely already know, broadens their knowledge. For example, early structures open the book, but Stonehenge is skipped in favor of a henge at Avebury, England, and Iraq's ziggurat at Ur and Sudan's Meroe pyramids are shown rather than Egypt's famous tombs. The 40 entries progress chronologically, with the last dated building covered being the 2008 SGAE headquarters in Spain. Most entries cover a particular building, but a few, such as Traditional Japanese Architecture and Airport Architecture, address styles or movements. Each entry takes up a two-page spread and offers large, attractive drawings of interiors and exteriors and highlighted building features, set on muted primary color backgrounds that make the illustrations pop. The accompanying text describes the building's history, related architectural and construction techniques, and ways the places have been used. Given the global spread of coverage and the unusual buildings chosen, this is a must for children's history, art, and architecture collections'. --Booklist 'Come and explore global architecture sites with such great detail for a picture book. Readers are introduced to over twenty different sites around the world. They range from the Shanxi Hanging Monastery built in China in 491 CE all the way to the SGAE Headquarters in Spain built in 2008. On each two-page spread, readers are introduced to the building, stories behind the creation of the building and even architectural terms that describe its style and how it was built. The two-page illustrations of the buildings/sites are so detailed. The author also stayed away from the typical amazing architecture buildings that readers would have been very familiar with, such as the Pyramids or famous skyscrapers. There is also a glossary of terms in the back for reference. This book is perfect for the reader who loves to build and learn how things are built. With the level of detail this book would suit children ages 11 and older'. --Youth Services Book Review 'Beautifully presented with detailed artwork, this is a vibrant, wonderful journey across the world and will open the eyes of young readers to the awe-inspiring architecture all around us'. --The BookActivist 'Peter's illustrations are formed with inviting colours and busy, well-constructed compositions which keep the eye moving across the spreads to take in the multitude of details which he includes. I was taken with the amount of research the book must have required - it's quite an achievement. The book is an invitation to be a sightseeing tourist, but acts as a binding of different cultures, all of whom engage in creating buildings for function or to impress - often with the most grandiose of intentions. And by depicting the 21st century visitors, the fascination we have for beautiful and awe-inspiring constructions is reinforced (witness the tiny tourist buses in the bottom corner of the Shanxi Hanging Monastery spread). It's easy to see why Peter found Atlas of Amazing Architecture such a fascinating project - it will draw young and older readers in, delighting in a wide ranging exploration of fascinating buildings who are now getting a bit more exposure thanks to this fun and informative book'. --The AOI 'The atlas explores architectural wonders, not the normal buildings that usually appear in books like these i.e. the pyramids or the Taj Mahal. The book takes a different and broader view of what is considered architecture. Some of these include Native American plank houses in New Mexico, Stave Churches in Norway, The Djinguereber mosque in Mali, and the extraordinary 18th century wooden churches on Kizhi Island, Russia. There are over 50 buildings and each of them are striking and capture the essence or spirit of a particular time. The author Peter Allen, is a well-established illustrator of children's books, whose work has been published extensively by Usborne and Walker. The illustrations are fresh and the book has a whimsical feel about it. It's unusual and delightful and it should definitely be on any parents list!' --The Portugal News 'Well done to the makers of this book for including many contents I would not have predicted - I thought the subtitle of it concerning buildings I'd not heard of a bit of a challenge, but one they were more than up to. Starting with Newgrange, Avebury, Carnac etc and moving through time to the current day, we get a fine primer on superlative constructions around the world, introduced by vivid if cartoonish artwork and just four or five brief paragraphs. Sometimes the modern designer's disease has struck and it's impossible to work out which paragraph is to be read in which order, but at least the text is strong enough to not lose too much meaning. And what I was here for was the list of creations, from Nubian pyramids to pioneering Chinese bridges, and from the entirety of exotic, oriental Ayutthaya to the exotic, oriental Brighton Pavilion. Oh, and a modern marvel that never even got built - partly as we now know it never could have been. Not fully an actual atlas - the young student will probably need a real one to find out where exactly these things are - this still acts as a wonderful book to generate interest in the built environment'. --Goodreads 'Innovative architecture from around the world and through the ages is explored in this colourful and absorbing picture book for junior readers. From homes and universities to museums and places of worship, every double page features a specific building or architectural style, and provides information about when, where, how and why each structure was built. Full-page, colourful illustrations are bursting with fascinating detail and provide an engaging backdrop to pockets of informative text. Ideal for any budding young architect, this interesting book would also be enjoyed by anyone who has an interest in how people across the globe live'. --BookTrust