Rate this book

Los Rascacielos (2014)

by Germano Zullo(Favorite Author)

4.1 of 5 Votes: 4

languge

English

genre

Middle Grade & Children's

publisher

Libros del Zorro Rojo

review 1: The illustrations are pretty good and I wished I had had more time to look them over but even so I’m not sure that they would have held my attention. Despite being pretty detailed, they repeated the previous page with only small detailed in order to focus on the building. Instead, the snarky comments of the decorative materials or the interior elements as they are moved into the building are really what makes the book. Unfortunately it ends up being a diatribe on greed that may pass over the head of children and if it does not, ends up being a bit too didactic for my taste. I think it might make a better video than book, in that the pacing could be more controlled and movement add to the meaning making. Because all of the visual perspectives were from the exterior of the... more houses, some of the really cool ideas are unpictured, such as the huge interiors of the concert in honor of one of the men’s Maltese. Additionally, I found many of the names borderline unpronounceable which took away from some of the humor. On one hand, I appreciate that they likely haven’t been doctored for American audience from the original language (German or French) but I also wish they didn’t detract from the story, not that it even has much flow to detract from. It is also worth noting that the physical design of the book is pretty great- the feel of the matte cardboard and cloth taped binding is good and the endpapers attractive.
review 2: With very little text, this title tells the story of two competitive neighbors who embellish their already attractive abodes in an attempt to outdo each other. They hire highly-priced architects and add parlors, billiard rooms, trees, rooms that can accommmodate 8,000 guests, an antiques gallery, and even a wave pool. Once both buildings tower into the air at 4,025 feet--there's a line on the side of the page indicating this height--one building topples. The other one remains, but even having a pizza delivered to his house ends up being impossibly complicated. This is a title that will have readers shaking their heads and wondering about greed, keeping up with the Joneses and who has the last laugh here. I enjoyed looking carefully at the very detailed black and white drawings. less

Download links for: Los rascacielos

Advertising