As a child in Spain in the mid-nineteenth century, Antoni Gaudí noticed the world—the jagged peaks of the mountains against the sky, the blue of the sea. “All around him is light, form, and the Great Book of Nature. He will read from it all his life.” Rachel Rodríguez looks at the career of this unusual architect whose “daring creations” inspired everything from confusion to anger to astonished wonder in those who saw them. Rodríguez engagingly describes Gaudí’s work and the responses to it in a picture book narrative set against Julie Paschkis’s fanciful, appealing illustrations. Paschkis’s style conveys a sense of Gaudí’s imaginative approach and unusual structures. An author’s note provides a more comprehensive overview of Gaudí’s life and directs readers to numerous websites where photos of his work can be seen. (Ages 6–9)

Founded in 1985, the CILJ took an innovative approach toward libraries for children’s books, analytical tools for literature and illustration, and proj ects for engaging families and children with literacy. It has become a model especially for the Spanish-speaking countries.