by Anne Renaud (Author)
In a sleepy town in Southern France stands a mysterious structure. Is it a fortress? A giant labyrinth? The castle of a long-forgotten king?
It is, in fact, the work of one man, Ferdinand Cheval, who shaped a palace over the course of 33 years with nothing but his bare hands, his will, and a few tools. This is the story of how and why his palace came to be.
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Self-taught French architect Ferdinand Cheval (1836-1924) stars in this quirky chronicle of the postman's 33-year-long effort to build a stone palace by hand in Hauterives, France. Cheval "spent his days delivering mail and daydreaming" until a rock inspires him to begin collecting more on his route. Stone by stone, he constructs a water fountain, a grotto, and a passageway, all working up to "His Dream Palace./ His Ideal Palace"--a labyrinthine, sculpture-adorned edifice featuring staircases, balconies, and alcoves. "Learning as he went./ Inventing his own building techniques./ Failing until he succeeded./ Monsieur Cheval did not believe in/ the word impossible." Whimsical drawings washed in vibrant hues gesture toward the fanciful nature of Le Palais Idéal, shown in photographs alongside a concluding author's note. With hard work and imagination, anyone can achieve wondrous results, suggest Renaud and Salopek in this beatific ode. Ages 8-up. (Jan.)
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