Prairie Boy: Frank Lloyd Wright Turns the Heartland Into a Home

An obsession with shapes serves as a leitmotif as Frank Lloyd Wright (1867-1959) grows to be a master architect. In Rosenstock's telling, his aesthetic was rooted in a childhood love of his Wisconsin prairie home's natural geometries ("oval milkweed seeds, six-sided honeycombs, and triangle-faced badgers") and his fascination with blocks. Wright's awareness of spatial forms leads to his feeling that "the old European-style houses didn't fit America's landscape," so he strikes out on his own, designing radically different buildings. "In Frank's houses, people stood on shapes, sat on shapes, slept on shapes. They looked through shapes, ate off shapes, played by shape-light." Neal's stylized illustrations are geometrically anchored, with crisp lines and shapes that occasionally echo Wright's signature patterning, and the earnest, informative narrative centers the subject's relatable interests. Substantial supplemental materials include an author's note, sources, and multiple photos of his work, where, "like magic, he shook dozens of shapes from his shirtsleeves." Ages 7-10. (Sept.)

Gr 2-5—In this picture book biography of architect Frank Lloyd Wright, Rosenstock emphasizes the development of Wright's unique architectural vision; he grew up to believe that houses should fit the landscapes surrounding them and the lifestyle of families living in them. He thought that houses should also include the basic shapes that he had grown to love as a young boy. Instead of focusing on specific buildings Wright created, this book highlights the roots of his thinking—how what he believed as a boy influenced what he did as a grown man. These ideas are reinforced by Neal's illustrations. The rolling, colorful prairie of Wisconsin that Wright loved is in contrast with the gray, rocky coast of New England where his family moved when he was nine. Neal also contrasts the old-style European houses being built on the prairie with Wright's newer vision of a prairie house that fit the landscape. Back matter deepens understanding of Wright's delight in shapes and natural landscapes, and includes photographs of the subject and some of his outstanding architecture. VERDICT An excellent introduction to the ideas behind Wright's architecture. Use with K.L. Going's The Shape of the World and Lynda Waggoner's Fallingwater to learn more about the man who has been called America's greatest architect.—Myra Zarnowski, City University of New York