Carmen and the House That Gaudí Built

ARC Copy...beautiful book and illustrations about the artist-architect Gaudi and the iconic house he designed and built. The illustration follow a colourful-surreal sty;e that very much the artist vision and visual styles. I could see this book being to teach art to kiddies.

Carmen and the House that Gaudi Built is a delightful journey in history. The simple story about discovery was weaved beautifully into a tale of growing up and understanding change. The main character grapples with the fears and uncertainty that comes from moving to a new place. This story is accented by a whimsically illustrated tale of the architect Gaudi. I loved the book and I'm happy to be able to share it with my own children and my classroom.

A wonderful story filled with beautiful artwork based on a real house! I loved the artwork and the sweet story of a little girl and her imaginary salamander friend. Carmen’s family has announced they are moving to a new home but Carmen is less excited about moving leaving her salamander behind. A truly fun read with beautiful artwork!

Brilliant and beautiful! I absolutely adore this gorgeously illustrated picture book by Susan Hughes - it's the perfect introduction into historical fiction for young children! Carmen and the House That Gaudí Built weaves magic into the architecture of a real building redesigned by Gaudí, and infuses imagination into the inspiration behind his design.

Really clever, this book shows the young reader that adults can have imagination too – or at least they can when they're Antoni Gaudi. The young girl at the centre of the book regrets her family's decision to leave the countryside for a city centre residence in Barcelona, but is amazed to find the countryside brought to the building concerned, replete with all its colours, shapes, textures, randomness and magic. We're told at the end, on the non-fiction page, that nobody was ever informed why Gaudi put a huge lizard atop the building, and so this girl's imaginary giant salamander friend is as good a reason as any. So yes, this could inspire an interest in the more fantastical architecture, but it's not really a STEM book – it's about the imagination, about how any stuffy, unwanted adult might just be a magician able to exceed your wildest dreams, and it's a hymn to those with a childlike eye for creativity and drama. I might be biased in that I love Gaudi's work, but I think this is a big success. Four and a half stars.

Carmen is an introvert and avid nature lover who lives in the Spanish countryside with her family. Her parents are moving to the city and hire Gaudi, a creative designer and architect to remodel the house. What follows is a beautiful soft story about art, design, and reassurance that life holds surprises. Gorgeous colored illustrations, a new set of cultural thoughts to explore, and great facts at the end of the book really push this book to the top!

A fictional story based on fact, revolving around the work of the famous and beloved architect Antoni Gaudi with stunning and whimsical illustrations.