What’s That Building? An Architectural Guessing Game

Form follows function in this interactive picture book, in which Donnelly and debuting creator Cho challenge readers to consider the puzzles shaping 10 buildings’ designs. Each section opens with a question: “If you need space for... What building do you need?” Scene fragments visualize different use cases in action, such as a building for “learning about math, history, art, music, and lots more!” Page turns reveal crisply detailed cutaways of structures filled with busy populations—think Where’s Waldo? meets In the Town All Year ’Round. Explanatory text, meanwhile, broadly reveals the many factors architects consider: a museum, for example, needs display space as well as “controlled conditions” and “secret rooms.” Recurring visual Easter eggs reward close looking: a dedicated architect pops up in each drawing, while the buildings’ occupants include an extraterrestrial, a star, and more. In revealing from the ground up how public spaces are one interpretation of societal values, this book encourages insight and curiosity about built environments. Human characters are portrayed with various abilities and skin tones. Ages 5–8. (Oct.)