I enjoyed reading this book about the architect Antoni Gaudi and looking at the illustrations. This book celebrates his creativity, dedication, and hard work.

What surprised me was that there wasn't a single photograph of his work, even though there are many available even on Google. In a book about architecture, it would be good to look at actual photos. I kept thinking that Gaudi and the architect Zaha Hadid were both inspired by nature. There is much room for comparison here.

I think the book would be useful to begin a study of Gaudi's work. The book raised many questions for me, and I think it would for young readers too. Back matter providing additional information would have been helpful.

A big thank-you to NetGalley, the author, and publisher for giving me a copy of this book for an unbiased review.

2/5 - It was okay.

I absolutely love Gaudi and have been extremely lucky to have seen some of his work in real life. As such, I was very excited to review this book and must admit that it left me a little bit disappointed. The illustrations are lovely and are in line with Gaudi's colorful, eccentric style. However, I did not feel that I learned much about Gaudi and even though this book is meant for children, I still felt that it sugarcoated his life and legacy. A main message in the book is how Gaudi's love for imperfections grew into his love for unique architecture and it seemed like from there on out, his work was largely a success. But there was a long period during which Gaudi was nearly forgotten and it feels a little odd to leave this out - I think it may have been more powerful to mention it, and then to emphasize how his legacy surged once more and how honored he is now as a Catalan artist. I also felt that the writing was a little simplistic at times - again, I understand this may be appropriate for the audience, but I felt that it could have used better transitions or more deliberate language.

That being said, it isn't a bad book - and I think it would be a good addition to libraries in order to help children learn about Gaudi, as well as about the importance of loving that which is imperfect.

Thank you, North South Inc., for the advance reading copy.

This is a nonfiction picture book which tells the story of Antoni Gaudi. Gaudi had a difficult childhood due to an illness and had to be alone most times. He was considered an eccentric even by his teachers. But he didn't give up on his dreams.

This is the story about living one's dreams despite hurdles. I love the presentation and the book talking about the important aspects. However, I feel the illustrations might be a bit difficult for the target audience to appreciate.

I really liked the art style of this look into Antoni Gaudi's life and art. It's really cool to see all of his contributions to the Barcelona skyline.