Module 11

Module 11
April 5 to 11

Julia Morgan Built a Castle
By Celeste Davidson Mannis

Mannis, Celeste Davidson. Julia Morgan Built a Castle. Viking. 2006. ISBN: 0670059641

Synopsis:
Julia Morgan dreamed of begin an architect and building beautiful structures in the late 1800s when women didn’t have professional jobs. Her inspirations were her father and her cousin, both of whom were architects. She attended college at University of California at Berkley and was eventually one of the first women accepted into Ecole des Beaux-Arts, a prestigious school for architecture in France. Julia eventually built San Simeon for Mr. William Randolph Hearst. San Simeon was intended to be Mr. Hearst’s home in California. It is still on display as a museum today.

My View of the World:
This book tells an interesting tale of a woman who had to pioneer her way into her career. Although the book tells very little about her difficulties, Miss Morgan must have faced significant opposition in her desire. The illustrations give life to the buildings that inspired her and that she built. The story is inspiring, and it leaves the reader wanting to see in person some of Miss Morgan’s creations, especially San Simeon.

Book Reviews:
The fruits of architects' labors--from pyramids to skyscrapers--have been celebrated more frequently in picture books than architects themselves. Mannis' choice of subject, the first female graduate of the Ecole des Beaux-Arts, fills this void nicely, as the little something Morgan built for William Randolph Hearst on a California hilltop anchors the life story in a lavish project that will snare children's imaginations. The lively narrative crystallizes the struggles against the gender bias Morgan encountered and brings the details of a large-scale building site to a child's level, such as the movie screenings that entertained the castle's live-in construction crew. The book's large format and Hyman's full-bleed paintings capture the grandeur of both Morgan's aspirations and the dramatic landscapes in which she worked. A concluding photo of the finished structure would have been nice, as would notes about the provenance of material in quotations, but the unsung heroine and the handsome, engaging presentation counterbalance these missteps. --Jennifer Mattson, November 15, 2006. Booklist.

This picture book is a wonderful way to introduce young readers to a groundbreaking female architect. Luminescent illustrations, created using soft pastels and pencils in a golden-peach palette, appear to glow with the light of California and France, both seminal locations in Morgan's life. Informed by architecture, the paintings evoke C?zanne's attention to form: the folds of dresses, the curve of a mountain, a shadow over a hat. The opening spread shows a youngster constructing a geometric sandcastle while the text quietly states: "Julia Morgan loved to build." The book highlights other significant moments: young Julia visiting construction sites with her engineer father; being the only woman in her engineering class at UC Berkeley in the 1890s; her pride at receiving a certificate in architecture from Paris's ?cole des Beaux-Arts; her return to San Francisco and early career. The last half of the book is devoted to the construction of William Randolph Hearst's San Simeon. Mannis points out that Morgan's creations are solidly built and noted for their enduring beauty. Filled with rich vocabulary, the narrative employs scrumptious architectural terms such as "Baroque," "flying buttresses," and "teakwood cornice." An inspiring tale and encouragement for someday builders.-Teresa Pfeifer, Alfred Zanetti. November 1, 2006. School Library Journal.

In My World:
This books would be fantastic as a read aloud to springboard study into life during the early 1900’s, women liberation, or architecture. This could also prompt students to do research into their ancestors. This would be a fabulous book to use within a library for several different purposes.