January 10, 2012

Look at that Building! by Canadian illustrator-author Scot Ritchie introduces young readers to the fundamentals of structures and basic construction concepts through five children.

Canadian author aims to stimulate construction curiosity in kids

KELLY LAPOINTE

staff writer

Bright and colourful illustrations and fun facts walk children through the fundamentals of buildings and structures in a new book.

Look at That Building!: a First Book of Structures by Canadian illustrator-author Scot Ritchie, introduces young readers to basic construction concepts through the eyes of five friends who want to build a doghouse for their dog Max.

“I want kids to take an interest in structures and really notice them in their daily lives.  It’s also important to me that they develop an aesthetic awareness of their surroundings,” explained Ritchie.

“I want them to notice shapes and colours as well as a building’s very practical uses. The structures and buildings around us are hugely important.”

To learn more about building a doghouse, the characters go to the library where they learn about foundations, beams, frames and other building fundamentals.

Along their walk they also learn about how structures are built in nature and what makes structures strong. At the end, kids can learn how to create their own mini doghouse out of marshmallows, paper, glue and craft sticks.

Ritchie wanted the book to cover the basics of architecture and touch on the history of it.

“I’m mainly an illustrator who writes so the book gave me an opportunity to create buildings of my own which was a lot of fun. I especially like the library and the highrises,” he explained.

Ritchie is an award-winning author-illustrator who has worked on more than 40 children’s books. As a child, he wanted to be an architect like his dad.

He said the response to the book has been great. He hopes the book will engage children from an early age so they will continue to learn as they get older.

“Kids love to learn about structures and how things are built. We’ve all seen how fascinated they are at a construction site watching cranes and trucks.”

In any book that he illustrates and writes, Ritchie says he tries to engage kids and get them excited about the subject.

“There is a playful quality you can bring to just about anything and that makes us all more interested. Kids love to read books and are eager to learn, we just need to provide them with the material they can connect with,” he concluded.

Ritchie says this book is a follow up to his previous book, Follow That Map!: A First Book of Mapping Skills. Ritchie is also thinking about a third book in the series to follow Look at That Building!, which will most likely involve structures.

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