Descriptions, Reviews, etc.
Description:
Booklist Starred Review
Named to the 2022 Texas Topaz Nonfiction Reading List
The Spanish architects Rafael Guastavino Sr. and hisson, Rafael Guastavino Jr., designed more than one thousand iconic spaces across New York City and the United States, such as the New York City Hall Subway Station (still a tourist destination though no longer active), the Manhattan Federal Reserve Bank, the Nebraska State Capitol, the Great Hall of Ellis Island, the Oyster bar at Grand Central Terminal in New York, the Elephant House at the Bronx Zoo, the soaring tiled vaults under the Queensboro Bridge, the central dome of the Cathedral Church of St. John the Divine, and the Boston Public Library. Written in the voice of the son, who was eight years old in 1881 when he immigrated to America with his father, this is their story.
Brief description:
Berta de Miguel is a trained architect specializing in the restoration of historic structures who works as Vertical Access New York City Branch Manager. This position has allowed her to work regularly in Guastavino-designed spaces. Part of this interaction with Guastavino is included in the documentary El Arquitecto de Nueva York, by Eva Vizcarra, which was selected for the Gold Dolphin at the Cannes Festival and for Best Biography recognition in the New York Festival World's Best TV & Films Festival.
Review Quotes: Read this as a picture book, to spark discussion, or use it to expand options for biography assignments in elementary schools. There's great potential in this story. VERDICT Beautiful, informative, and fascinating, this is a great addition to school and public library biography collections. Recommended.-- "School Library Journal" (3/20/2020 12:00:00 AM)