ACCESS DIGITIZED EDITION
Guide/Reviews Database
THE ARTS
Tentler-Krylov, Victoria

Building Zaha: The Story of Architect Zaha Hadid

48 pp. | Scholastic/Orchard | December, 2020 | Trade ISBN 978-1-338-28283-2 $18.99 | Ebook ISBN 978-1-338-67489-7 $11.99
(1) K-3 With fittingly bold, whimsical, flowing illustrations, this picture-book biography showcases Iraqi British architect Zaha Hadid, who "dreamed big and defied convention." Born in Baghdad in 1950, Hadid was an active, observant child, noticing the shifting "light and shadow play" in local palaces and mosques, and the "rippling harmony" between people and their environment in the Iraqi marshes--keen observations that would later inform her work. After studying math in Beirut, Hadid moved to London: "It was time to get serious about studying architecture." The daring young professional, who "reached for paints and brushes and conjured structures that tilted, swayed, and floated on air," was hired by two of her professors after graduation and also entered design competitions. Tentler-Krylov describes Hadid's confident persistence in the face of criticism ("she had to be tougher than most") and tracks her burgeoning career with vivid details (her fire station in Germany resembled "a bird taking flight"). Rendered with watercolor and digital tools, the illustrations exude energy and power. This stirring tribute to the "first woman, first Iraqi, first Muslim, and youngest person ever" to win the Pritzker Prize, architecture's highest award, includes an author's note, a timeline, a bibliography, and endpapers featuring photos of Hadid's most famous structures. Pair with Jeanette Winter's picture-book biography of Hadid, The World Is Not a Rectangle (rev. 9/17).
Reviewer: Tanya D. Auger | Horn Book Magazine Issue: March, 2021

RELATED 

THE ARTS

The People's Painter
by Levinson, Cynthia
THE ARTS

Before They Were Artists
by Haidle, Elizabeth
THE ARTS

Breaking Waves
by Burleigh, Robert
THE ARTS

Fearless World Traveler
by Lawlor, Laurie
THE ARTS

The History of Western Art in Comics
by Augustin, Marion
More

Get connected. Join our global community of more than 200,000 librarians and educators.

This coverage is free for all visitors. Your support makes this possible.

We are currently offering this content for free. Sign up now to activate your personal profile, where you can save articles for future viewing.

ALREADY A SUBSCRIBER?