Iggy Peck Reviews

Reviews for Iggy Peck, Architect

"Iggy Peck is the architect we all want to be, the engineer and author of lovely, exuberant structures made from the most exceptional and unexpected materials. Who couldn’t help but love a Gateway Arch if made of towers of pancakes and coconut pie?

Each page is a visual treat, filled with architectural details and historical references that lend themselves to close inspection. A clever use of white space and the double page spreads help create the sensation of height and urban density on every page, while giving the impression that Iggy’s imagination grows along with each new creation.

Iggy “quirks” up quite a few of our favorite buildings: architectural aficionados will enjoy the many references to iconic buildings and structures, though they may be a bit obscure for those who’ve never taken an architectural history class. Iggy’s ambition is heroic and original, for sure; a little ugly and ordinary might make the details of the subject matter more accessible. But maybe that’s okay; an impossible Leaning Tower crafted from diapers is certainly funny and could be fine inspiration for a mischievous reader.

Iggy Peck, Architect, is a lovely parable of the power of creativity and an oddball manifesto to challenge the linguistic and logical biases of most educational curricula. Will it be the antidote? Likely not, but faith in creativity and invention saves the day in this book, and perhaps that will encourage a bit more tinkering with building blocks, glue, cereal boxes, and yogurt pots and inspire some future problem solvers. Read it at bedtime (it’s a quick read!), chuckle with your children, and send them to dreamland to build alongside Iggy." --American Institute of Architects

"New Yorker fans will feel right at home in the world created by David Robert's illustrations: a bit of George Price's fine line, a touch of Peter Arno's soigné sophistication, a dash of Gahan Wilson, and a retro-'50's feel in both personal and architectural décor. . . There's a touch of Madeline in the rhyming text as well as in Iggy's independent spirit as he perseveres and, in the way of children's books, saves the day (and Miss Greer as well). Occasionally, the nonsense - along with the rhyme scheme - feel forced and it may take more than one reading to wrap one's tongue around the sometimes clunky meter, but the breezy detailed pictures - some done on graph paper - and the comical premise may just carry the day." Parent's Choice

"Youthful irreverence and creativity find a champion in this tale of Iggy Peck, a child who once “built a great tower—in only an hour—/ with nothing but diapers and glue.” . . . Beaty favors sprightly stanzas, while Roberts drafts orderly watercolor images on, alternately, clean white paper and graph paper. The structured rhymes and controlled illustrations fit the architectural theme, and if the mannered poetry strains at times, Roberts breaks free of the stylization with absorbing details. Each of Iggy’s 16 classmates, for example, has his or her own unique quality, implying the variety of personalities and potentials to be appreciated in any group of children." --Publishers Weekly