Building America
by Janice Weaver
illustrated by Bonnie Shemie
Named a 5th– 6th Grade Honor Book by the Austin Young Engineer’s Award 2003-2004
From old favorites like Monticello, Falling Water, and the Chrysler Building, to lesser-known treasures like Bernard Maybeck’s First Church of Christ, Scientist (in Berkeley, California), the buildings that Janice Weaver presents tell the story of a nation and its people. Traveling through almost four hundred years of history – and to all four corners of the continental United States – Building America explores an architecture that is as diverse as the people who created it. Complete with timeline, glossary, and index, this fine introduction to architecture is splendidly illustrated by Bonnie Shemie’s detailed paintings.
close this panelJanice Weaver has been working with books all her life – first as an editor, and now as a writer. Building America, her first children’s book, has allowed her to pursue a love of architecture that began when she was knee-high to a gargoyle.
Bonnie Shemie is a graphic artist, author, and painter with a special interest in architecture. She is the author of Houses of China and the acclaimed Native Dwellings Series, which includes Houses of adobe; Mounds of earth and shell; Houses of hide and earth; Houses of snow, skin and bones; Houses of wood; and Houses of bark. Bonnie Shemie’s most recent book is Building Canada.
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“[This] book with great visual appeal offers a tantalizing survey of 400 years of architecture… Meticulous, finely detailed renderings in subdued colors illuminate the buildings…”
–School Library Journal
“[This] book takes a fascinating chronological look at the development of architectural styles in the United States…Highly Recommended.”
–CM Magazine
“…an intriguing historical guide…”
–Children’s Bookwatch
“This is more than a marvelous illustrated history of architecture in America; it provides an easy-to-take social context for the buildings it showcases. Illustrator Shemie has done a masterly job of picturing the wide variety of buildings.”
–Philadelphia Inquirer
“…a fascinating record of how United States architecture has evolved in the past 300 years… The illustrations…are numerous and colourful.”
–Winnipeg Free Press
“[A] fascinating book, a must for any history or architecture buff…[w]ith clear, detailed illustrations…”
–The Repository
“It’s a lovely and informative book, designed for pre-teens up, and of equal interest to adults.
–BookLoons Teens Reviews
“…interesting and highly informative…lavishly illustrated…”
–The Monterey County Herald
