Book Review of What Adults Don’t Know About Architecture
The Children’s Book Review

Written by The School of Life

Edited by Alain de Botton

Ages 9-15 | 192 Pages

Publisher: The School of Life | ISBN-13: 978-1912891306

What to expect: Sophistication, Educational, Inspiring

Who doesn’t want to know more about architecture? Even though buildings surround us, and many of culture’s most remarkable achievements are buildings, this area of knowledge is often overlooked in most educational protocols. Part of a series edited by Alain de Bottom detailing the many things adults don’t know about, this book gives everyone a worthy walk into some of the world’s significant buildings and architectural achievements.

Cathedrals, airports, museums, opera houses, and much more offer a survey of architectural achievements spanning the globe and across many centuries and cultures.

“Does it matter what a place looks like?” the book asks in its opening.
The rest of the book provides a satisfying, complete answer to this question (the answer is a resounding Yes) by detailing the symbolic nature of buildings, the way spaces can make us feel, and the long history of the different expressions these realities have been given.

Children will respond naturally and enthusiastically to this book since they are so thoroughly in and curious about the world. Their eyes will be opened to the everyday spaces they visit—from schools to museums, to just about anywhere else—and they will be excited to pay attention to their surroundings in new and insightful ways.

Adults, too, can get a lot out of exploring a subject that isn’t often explored thoroughly, and they will find walks and trips with their children much amplified by the architectural sense and insights What Adults Don’t Know About Architecture gives its readers.

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What Adults Don’t Know About Architecture by The School of Life was reviewed by Trevor Laurence Jockims. Discover more books like What Adults Don’t Know About Architecture by following along with our reviews and articles tagged with architecture Books for Kids, inspiration and educational books.