Iggy Peck, Architect

by: Andrea Beaty; Illustrated by David Roberts

Published by: Abrams Books for Young Readers

Reviewed by Jamie Driggers

“Young Iggy Peck is an architect and has been since he was two, when he built a great tower—in only an hour—with nothing but diapers and glue.” Thus begins Iggy Peck, Architect, the story of a creative little boy whose talent is underappreciated—especially by his second grade teacher.

This is a wonderful story that encourages children to think outside of the box. Iggy uses unusual mediums to achieve his masterpieces: dirty diapers, fruit roll-ups, underwear and chalk, to name a few. And though he is discouraged in his endeavors, he still broke down the hardest of hearts when his projects became useful.

Delightfully illustrated, Iggy Peck, Architect is a hit with the kids. I was a bit surprised how much they like it, as the illustrations are a bit unusual in both color and proportion. I guess it goes to show that “unusual” isn’t bad. I’d say they perfectly complement the text, but I think it can more be said that the text perfectly complements the illustrations.

As a read aloud, the text is doable, however, the cadence is slightly off in places. I found myself swallowing syllables in odd places and still getting it wrong several read-throughs later. But, the story is so utterly charming, as a whole, that it more than compensated for the imperfect meter.

Armchair Interviews says: This book is witty, scrumptious fun for all ages.

Author’s Web site: http://www.AndreaBeaty.com