Fallingwater

Starred review from August 21, 2017
A warm tribute to the creative genius and style of architect Frank Lloyd Wright, this picture book takes readers through his process of designing and building the famous home Fallingwater, which helped revive his stalled career, in the 1930s. Harshman (One Big Family) and Smucker (Brother Giovanni’s Little Reward) deliver an often lyrical narration of Fallingwater’s progression. From its inspiration in nature to the sweeping, finished house that sits above a waterfall in rural Pennsylvania, the dwelling is “A house like no other,/ where sun can shine,/ where balconies fly,/ where falling water/ is heard from every room.” The spare text and Pham’s energetic illustrations advance the story steadily. Wright drafts a concept design on deadline as nervous assistants look on; later, builders “Pry and dig and lift,/ stone upon stone upon stone./ Choose and fit and stack,/ stone upon stone upon stone.” Earth tones and blue hues evoke the calm grandeur of the finished, futuristic-looking structure as it soars out and over the waterfall. Author and illustrator notes flesh out additional details about the now-conserved public attraction. Ages 7–10. Illustrator’s agent: Linda Pratt, Wernick & Pratt.

September 1, 2017

Gr 2-5-Fallingwater, one of the most famous houses ever built, sits atop a waterfall in southwestern Pennsylvania. It's a house that fits in perfectly with its surroundings-the trees, the stream, the rocks, and the waterfall. Inside the rooms, visitors can hear the water falling and see the sun shining in. But how did such a house take shape? That is the story Harshman and Smucker tell. Beginning with Edgar Kaufman's invitation to architect Frank Lloyd Wright to build him a home in this rural setting, the book follows Wright as he walks around the property again and again, thinks about the project for nine months, and finally just two hours before Kaufman visits him to see the plans for the house, puts pencil to paper. Descriptive, lyrical text mirrors the subject matter: "His dreams have made him ready. He sees every boulder, tree, and waterfall. He sees the house that will live among them." Pham's illustrations, done mainly in blues and browns, detail the architectural process as it grows from idea to reality. VERDICT Frank Lloyd Wright's genius is revealed for sophisticated picture book readers.-Myra Zarnowski, City University of New York

Copyright 2017 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

September 15, 2017
Late in his career, architect Frank Lloyd Wright designed one of the world's most famous houses.In 1934, Pittsburgh retail magnate Edgar Kaufmann hired Wright to build a house near the waterfalls of Bear Run, Pennsylvania. This book traces Wright's steps through planning, construction, and successful completion of the unusual house nestled in a hillside. The illustrations echo the Japanese print style that inspired Wright's design in spreads paced to underscore the tranquil setting. One vertical double-page spread emphasizes the height of the house jutting over the waterfalls. The book's effectiveness, however, is marred by inconsistencies in text and illustration that seem to be a result of an attempt to appeal to both younger and older children. Languid prose alternates with short, choppy sentences throughout. For instance, the narrative recounts Wright's dreams in stately free verse: "In dreaming this house he will use everything / he has ever seen: stone walls from Wisconsin, / sand and adobe from the Southwest, / towers and trellises from Italy." His client's desire for speed comes in jarringly clipped sentences: "Mr. Kaufmann calls. He is in Wisconsin. / He is coming to visit. / He wants to see the plans. / He will arrive in two hours. / He is coming to see his new house!" This, coupled with the flat, cartoonish depiction of some characters (mostly though not exclusively white), detracts from an otherwise pleasant book. Will provide some inspiration for budding architects. (authors' note, artist's note, bibliography, notes) (Informational picture book. 6-9)

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Starred review from September 1, 2017
Grades 2-5 *Starred Review* This beautifully rendered picture book is a testimonial to the creative genius of Frank Lloyd Wright and his Fallingwater, an amazing structure built directly over a waterfall. Readers are pulled in immediately by the traditional once upon a time opening, and the story is told in present tense as Wright takes months dreaming, imagining, and finally realizing his daring, unique project: A house like no other, where sun can shine, where balconies fly, where falling water is heard in every room. The meticulously accurate illustrations show developing events in muted earth tones that mirror the colors of the interior and exterior of the house, while Wright's evolving architectural musings appear as sepia-colored backgrounds. Other visual aspects, like passing clouds mimicking the depiction of the water flowing over the waterfall, or Wright's absorption in a Japanese print as he first considers the commission, add nuance. The text effortlessly provides insights into Wright's thinking, his choice of materials, and how his final results reflect their counterparts in nature. Like Fallingwater, a home that breathtakingly blends innovative architecture and its natural surroundings, this book seamlessly blends together a good story, lyrical language, and deft, supporting artwork. This affectionate tribute should appeal to a very wide audience.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2017, American Library Association.)

January 1, 2018
This romantic picture-book account details the conception, design, and construction of the Frank Lloyd Wright house Fallingwater in Pennsylvania. The prose is by turns straightforward, staccato, and lyrical. Readers may recognize Pham's usual visual style in the cartoony human figures, but elsewhere the watercolor, ink, and gouache art channels Wright's clean design and its unique, organic harmony with nature. Bib.

(Copyright 2018 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)

January 1, 2018
Young builders/dreamers will be inspired by this romantic picture-book account of the conception, design, and construction of the Frank Lloyd Wright house Fallingwater. The book opens in 1934, by which time the once-famous architect is almost forgotten. But "a stream in Pennsylvania was about to change all that." At this point the book switches to the present tense, as Pittsburgh department-store magnate Edgar Kaufmann commissions a new home by the waterfall at Bear Run. Its "falling waters" -- the image and sounds and the surrounding nature -- consume Wright's imagination for months until, in a last-minute, urgent flurry, plans for "a house like no other," a "house on the waterfall," are drawn up. The book's second half details the construction work in the text while the iconic home slowly begins to emerge in the illustrations. Harshman and Smucker's prose is by turns straightforward, staccato, and lyrical, the last of which is its most effective tonal state, especially in describing Wright's vision: "In the thundering water, scaffolding spreads its spindly legs. Like branches extending from a tree, the house stretches out over the falls." Readers may recognize Pham's usual visual style in the cartoony human figures, but elsewhere the watercolor, ink, and gouache art channels Wright's clean design and its unique, organic harmony with nature. The authors' note discusses the context of the Fallingwater ?project in Wright's career and in its historical era; an artist's note touches on research Pham did to "convey the difficulty of such a feat." Appended with source notes and a bibliography. katrina Hedeen

(Copyright 2018 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)