Victoria Tentler-Krylov

How did New York's High Line park come to be? It started with an elevated rail track that became disused when trucks replaced freight trains, and a neighborhood group, Friends of the High Line, who envisioned a place where locals and tourists alike could come enjoy the space. The final design included sheltered, quiet places; sunny or shady places to sit; places to relax; places to display art; places to watch the city; wildflowers to admire and smell; and sections of track left to remind people of the past. The author describes how the High Line became a popular attraction, and though she doesn't use the word gentrification, she describes the change in the neighborhood. The High Line has also inspired the creation of parks in other cities. Back matter includes an author's note, a High Line Timeline, and a selected bibliography. Endpapers have a map of the park.… (meer)

Curious as a child, exploring mosques and palaces in Baghdad and wanting to create and construct the impossible, Zaha Hadid grew up to influence the field of architecture.

In Tentler-Krylov’s telling, young Hadid’s interests in construction sites and math grow as she ages, leading to her getting a math degree in college and moving to London, where she studies architecture. She spends hours studying and sketching. Although she makes a name for herself in England, the ever unconventional Hadid is not hired to design buildings, so she enters competitions. After some difficulty, one of her innovative designs becomes reality. Even when faced with obstacles and rejection, Hadid continues to defy form. Hadid dares to challenge the critics and meets negative feedback with determination and confidence, ultimately becoming the first woman to design an art museum in the United States and the youngest ever to win the prestigious Pritzker Prize. Tentler-Krylov’s brushy watercolor illustrations create movement on the page, highlighting Hadid’s unique tilting, swaying, and floating structures. Short paragraphs advance the narrative spread by spread, describing how her subject’s passion became her career. An architect herself, the author/illustrator provides an enthusiastic note explaining her interest in Hadid along with a timeline and a bibliography; quoted dialogue is unsourced, and a small note on the copyright page emphasizes that the book is historical fiction and not strict biography.

An inspiring story based on a dazzlingly influential life. (Picture book. 5-10)

-Kirkus Review… (meer)