You Wouldn't Want to Work on a Medieval Cathedral!: A Difficult Job That Never Ends

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Editorial Reviews

Children's Literature - Della A. Yannuzzi
Author Macdonald has combined fact and fiction in this thirty-two page picture book about building cathedrals in the fourteenth century. Told in first person by a fictional grandfather who asks his grandson if he has chosen a career, and if not, perhaps, he may want to become a builder like himself. The author builds a visual story of the excitement, hard work, and skills that are needed to build a cathedral. In addition to a lively text, the pages are filled with drawings of cathedrals, and information on how they are constructed. The grandfather/narrator compares the large sizes of cathedrals with his own house, explaining how his house has no pillars, arches, niches, and very large windows like most cathedrals. The following pages describe the different types of workers that are needed to build a cathedral. Pictures of quarrymen, woodworkers, masons, roofers, and others are shown. The amusing illustrations clearly show what skills are needed to work on such massive works of art. Would a cathedral builder be willing to travel around the countryside in all types of weather just to find work? Would he be able to live a life on the road? If he does become a master mason, will he be able to follow designs and make mathematical calculations? The author has written a busy book that at times feels choppy with its many bits of information spilling over the pages. The illustrations are plentiful and a colorful feast for the eyes. Presenting history and difficult topics using a fictional setting and interesting characters can bring a nonfiction subject to life. But loading a book with too much information and visuals may cause a reader to skip over some of it. Nevertheless, the author and illustrator have done a good job of bringing an interesting topic to today's young readers. Back material includes a glossary and index. Reviewer: Della A. Yannuzzi
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Product Details

  • ISBN-13: 9780531205044
  • Publisher: Scholastic Library Publishing
  • Publication date: 9/1/2010
  • Series: You Wouldn't Want to... Series
  • Pages: 32
  • Sales rank: 680,942
  • Age range: 8 - 11 Years
  • Product dimensions: 8.50 (w) x 9.60 (h) x 0.40 (d)

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