Cityscape: Where Science and Art Meet

K-Gr 3–“Science, math, [and] art/live side by side” in this intriguing collection of urban images. She celebrates architecture, engineering, construction, and the art inherent in our cities. There are photos of tall buildings and rows of windows, highways, plants, and power lines. A crane appears next to a spire early on in the book and again toward the end, a reminder of the process of building and repair. There is decoration, detail, and a spread of materials. The contrast in shapes and styles is stunning. The blocky, traditional arrangement of the pictures contrasts with many curves—including one rippling Gehry tower. The “Tension/Suspension” of remarkable bridges is shown with a glimpse of the Oscar Mayer Wienermobile driving across one. Images include Chicago skyscrapers, the London Bridge, Machu Picchu, the Louvre, Angkor Wat, the Capitol building in Washington, DC, and the New York Library lions. The simple text includes few words on a page, but the underlying rhyme and alliteration mimic a song of praise. An afterword includes good questions for readers.