A fascinating visual history of Notre-Dame, “the World’s Cathedral,” that highlights the burning and reconstruction of the cherished building from award-winning author-illustrator Lynn Curlee.
On April 15, 2019, the Cathedral of Notre-Dame in Paris was almost destroyed by fire, an event that shocked and riveted the entire world as it played out in real time on TV and across the internet.
The story of the fire and its aftermath, along with the rebuilding of the historic cathedral, offers an exciting narrative around which Lynn Curlee builds an illustrated story for middle grade readers about this internationally cherished monument.
In the way that only he can, Lynn illuminates captivating information about cathedrals, gothic architecture, French history, restoration of old buildings, heroism under fire, and even Quasimodo, the famous Hunchback of Notre-Dame.---from the publisher
48 pages 978-1665971836 Ages 8-12
Keywords: cathedral, disaster, fire, architecture, how things work, determination, narrative non-fiction, gothic architecture, European history, buildings, heroism, heroes, 8 year old, 9 year old, 10 year old, 11 year old, 12 year old
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A while back, the one and only David Macaulay wrote us a book about building a cathedral. We learned a lot from that one about cathedrals in general and how they work. Lynn Curlee has brought us to a cathedral as well. This one is very well known to many of us - around the world- and this very special place has now got a book that tells its story and invites us to connect to its beauty, its deep sense of connection and its value to so many millions of people.
Chapter one begins with the cathedral in flames. We follow the timeline of how the fire spread and the heroism of the teams of firefighters who came to fight against the possible destruction and loss of Notre Dame. We go chapter by chapter through the disaster and on to the restoration and the difficult work of the craftsmen who came to invest their precious skills into bringing Notre Dame back to the world.
It's as though a friend had been deeply wounded and we all want to send flowers and ask what we can do to help.
Filled with information, details of the fire, the names of the heroes, and amazing illustrations of the process of the comeback this book goes beyond the stone and the lines to mirror the connection we feel to this grand structure whose nine centuries have withstood so much- inspiring us to believe we will too.
Recommended by: Barb Langridge, abookandahug.com
