Jorn's Imagination by Coral Vass illustrated by Nicky Johnston

"Jorn loved ideas. He collected ideas everywhere he went."

"Then one day, Jorn had a new idea. A magnificent idea."

"Jorn decided to enter a competition."

The timing of this book is perfect as we celebrate 50 years of the Sydney Opera House. The Sydney Opera House opened in October 1973 and this month in 2023 there are a huge number of events to commemorate this event. 

Did Jorn Utzon really find inspiration in orange peels? I adore this idea and do hope/assume it is true.  young children do need to read about the creator of one of our most iconic buildings and this narrative is very accessible. 

I also found this text very engaging as an adult reader even though I knew some of the back story. It was fascinating to discover Jorn demonstrated his interest in architecture from a very young age. There was a huge amount of controversy in Sydney over the building of our Sydney Opera House - issues of the design, money (it was very expensive), time and construction conflicts but none of this needed to be explained in this book - the main idea here is to celebrate the genius of Jorn Utzon and the glorious building that has become an iconic symbol of Sydney and Australia. My own personal connection comes back in 1973 when my father who was the President of the parent group at my high school (Mackellar Girls) decided the school speech day or presentation day should be held at the Opera House. Very strangely I was not able to be there, but I imagine it was a very exciting day.

The timeline on the final end paper is excellent and the front-end papers invite close study and then these images are repeated later in the text. 

I love the suspense and pace of the final pages where we see people looking across from the Botanical Gardens but we cannot see the Opera House, then turn the page and as a reader we are still waiting for the big reveal, then another page turn, with a recap through fragments of his inspiration, and then finally the full building nestled beside the Sydney Harbour Bridge in the soft dusk light. 

Publisher blurb: Was it a sailboat, a seashell, a swan or an orange peel that inspired Jørn to design Australia’s most recognisable building? In this gorgeously illustrated story, we follow Jørn through childhood as he discovers his love of building and creating, gathering ideas from everything around himself. When he grows bigger, so do his ideas, and something begins to take shape… can you guess what it might be? Jørn’s story is about embracing dreams, believing in your own abilities, and the power of new ideas. Written in honour of the 50th anniversary of the opening of the Sydney Opera House, it is also a topical springboard for educators and families into how the iconic landmark came to be. In celebrating the incredibly talented Jørn Utzon, it shows children that there are no limits to what they might achieve if they follow their dreams.

I would have liked a further reading list to be included and perhaps a list of sources used by Coral Vass because I did read that she did huge amount of research for her book including talking with the Utzon family. This is hinted at in the dedication.  A photo of the Sydney Opera House could also have been included on a notes page. But on the other hand, this book is aimed at younger children and it can be used as an excellent jumping off point for further research. By way of coincidence a relative of Jorn Utzon was a student at my former school. This book should be added to every Primary school and public library here in Australia. 

John Utzon's, Jørn’s Magnificent Imagination is written with the wonderful lilting cadence of repeated phrasing, alongside the anticipation of ‘expected’ surprises through language. Writer Coral Vass easily - and cleverly - takes us from Jørn's youth to adulthood with an elegant economy of words, deftly explaining all the while how his creativity is nurtured and grown. Kids' Book Review

Sensitively written and illustrated in a way that doesn’t reveal the mystery to the end, this is a book that not only celebrates a little life that has big dreams that come true, but inspires the reader to drift away and imagine ... The Bottom Shelf

Jorn's Magnificent Imagination was a 2023 Children's Book Council of Australia Picture Book Notable title. Here is the web page for Coral Vass. Here are some teachers notes from the publisher. You can see all of Nicky Johnston's books here. 

Here's another children's book about our Opera House (long out of print but it might be in a library):

Meet Florence, a flamboyant fur seal who lives on the steps of the Sydney Opera House.

Unlike the other seals, Florence has plans. Big plans. She's going to be a world-famous singer.

But does Florence have what it takes to become a real SEALPRANO?

Based on a true story, THE SINGING SEAL is for anyone who has ever felt small but dreamt BIG!

From the book Incredible Cross-Sections by Stephen Biesty

Further reading for teachers and adults:

Architect Magazine

Art Now and Then

Doco Mo Mo Australia

The Barnabus Project by The Fan Brothers

Deep under the city there is a sinister workshop where Perfect Pets are made. Sometimes the experiments go wrong and so, in a remote part of the laboratory, there are a series of bell jars holding the failures. Barbabus is one of the failures. 

"He was half mouse, half elephant, and he had lived in the lab as long as he could remember."

The failed pets are fed by huge scary creatures in green rubber suits. None of the "pets" have ever been outside the lab but a small cockroach tells them stories each evening of green spaces, mountains and stars. Barnabus longs to feel the grass under his feet. Barnabus lives by the credo:

"Nothing is impossible."

He is determined to escape and so he bashes into the side of his bell jar until in finally cracks under the pressure of his screams. Barnabus sets all the other Failed Projects free and they all set off to escape their underground prison. This process takes team work and hope but all twenty-two of them, plus one extra surprising friend, do find their freedom and that all important happy ending.

This is a story about identity, determination, teamwork, consumerism, and hopes and dreams.

This book was written for all the misfits, artists and dreamers out there. The Fan Brothers Facebook

Barnabus wonders:

"He wasn't fluffy enough, and his eyes were beady, but he liked himself just the way he was. And what if, after he was recycled, peanuts and cheese were no longer his favourite foods? What if his friends didn't recognise him after? What if he no longer cared about green trees and mountains lit with their own stars?"

When I first saw this in a local bookshop I knew I wanted to read it but the hardcover price was well above my book budget. Luckily this book is now available in paperback for well under AUS$20 which is wonderful for a larger format book with way more than 32 pages. This book should be added to every Primary school library - and shared widely with students and staff - it is fabulous!

The book design here is simply perfect. Take your time to linger over the front and back end papers, the title page and the final illustration on the author bio page. Think about the graph paper that is included and the paperclips. You can see inside this book here.  In this video (Moon Lane TV) you can see Eric drawing some of the characters. You could share this 19 minute video with an art class or a group of older students. And here is a video reading by Eric, Terry and Devin Fan. 

This epic tale of escape and liberation, set in a clandestine underground lab producing genetically engineered Perfect Pets, stars courageous Barnabus, half mouse, half elephant ...A heartfelt, timely allegory celebrating diversity, bravery, and solidarity.   Kirkus Star review

In the Fan brothers’ hands, the result feels like a happy amalgam of Jules Verne, Maurice Sendak, the Moomins, and Monsters, Inc. Quill and Quire

This book is a visual feast.  And the story? It is dream-like science fiction in picture book form. Jilanne Hoffmann

‘In a world built for Perfect Pets, half-mouse half-elephant Barnabus is a Failed Project who dreams of freedom. Shaun Tan meets “Toy Story”’ — The Bookseller

Awards:

• 2020 Governor General's Award for Young People’s Literature – Illustrated Books.
• The 2021 TD Canadian Children’s Literature Award.
• Nominated for the 2022 Kate Greenaway Medal.
• The 2021 Le Prix Ficelle, category age 6-7.
• 2021 Saskatchewan Young Readers’ Choice Awards, Shining Willow Award.
• 2020-2021 Maryland Black-Eyed Susan Award.
• 2021-2022 Vermont Red Clover Book Award.
• The 2022 Washington Children’s Choice Picture Book Award.
• The Surrey School’s Picture Book of the Year (for primary readers).
• A Kirkus “Best Books of 2020.”
• Chicago Public Library “Best Books of 2020.”
• 2021 Bologna Book Fair Finalist.

I just finished reading a novel for older readers -  They Threw us Away by Daniel Kraus. It was a harrowing book to read but it has a similar theme of rejected toys, identity, value and consumerism. Thankfully The Barnabus Project has a joyous happy ending. I need to read the two sequels to They Thew us Away in the hope this more complex senior novel also has a "they all lived happily ever after" conclusion. I will talk about They Threw us Away over the coming days. 

This book reminded me of The Adventures of Beekle. 

I guess you could link The Barnabus Project with the Toy Story movie series. I would also look for these:

Ruby and Little Joe

Who are you Stripy Horse?

Eight

Teddy & Co. 

If you are reading The Barbabus Project book with an older child try to find Boot which is also about a failed project - in this case a robot. 

Boot

Eugene the Architect by Thibaut Rassat

"Eugene was an architect - a rigorous architect and, some would say, a bit eccentric. Actually most people thought he was a little bit crazy. He preferred to stay at home in his high, angular, dark house."

The key words from this text quote are angular and dark. Eugene likes things to be ordered, neat and tidy including his buildings. He designs structures with straight lines and perfect geometric shapes. Eugene might be described as a 'control freak' because he takes time to supervise the construction of his buildings every step of the way. 

Now the for complication. One evening a strong wind blows a huge old tree right into the middle of the third floor of the newest building which is under construction. The workers expect Eugene to order them to cut down the tree but instead Eugene climbs up into the tree where he makes an amazing discovery. The tree has beautiful angles and proportions. It is perfect. Eugene has discovered the wonder of nature. 

Eugene now sees the whole world in a very different way. He makes amazing changes to his building giving space to all creatures - animals and humans.

"He had created something special in every little corner. The children were sliding down the huge toboggan. The older folk were daydreaming on their new benches."  

He even included a library!

Publisher Blurb Penguin Random House: Eugene the architect designs buildings that are incredibly straight and orderly. He is very proud of his latest work–an enormous house with perfectly perpendicular walls and windows. One day he is surprised to find a tree growing in what will be the house’s living room. Instead of cutting it down, Eugene studies the tree, marvelling at the way its branches, roots, leaves, and trunk grow in elegant proportions. Suddenly, Eugene sees nature in an entirely new way–not as the opposite of precise order, but as something with its own type of perfection. Thibaut Rassat’s playful illustrations introduce young readers to basic architectural and geometric principles while amusing them with Eugene’s prickly personality and joyful discovery. They will come away with a new appreciation for architecture and for the unexpected twists and turns that make the natural world–and our life in it–so fascinating.

Many years ago I had a student in my library who was the son of a very famous Sydney Architect. One day this young boy asked to borrow some architecture books - we didn't have many but from then on when I saw new titles on this topic I added them to my library. Eugene the Architect is a book I would have loved to put into his hands. I have discovered the author himself is an architect who lives in Paris.  Here is a house designed by the father of this boy from my previous school which gives you an idea of his talent. This is a house in a suburb near me:

If your young reading companion is a fan of the Andy Griffiths 13 Storey Treehouse series this book might give them a different perspective about architecture and an appreciation of creative fun in design. You might also look for this treasure - If I built a House by Chris van Dusen. 

Here is the cover of the French (Canadian) edition - Mauvaise Herbe.

My friend at Kinderbookswitheverything has an extensive Pinterest collection of books about architecture. You might try to find some of these:

If I built a house by Chris van Dusen

My house will be nifty! My house will be neat!

My house will stand out as the best on the street!

If I built a house is the perfect book for budding architects and also for fans of the popular Andy Griffiths and Terry Denton series which begins with the 13 Story Treehouse.

Jack builds the house of his dreams. Yes there are the regular (albeit amazing) rooms such as a kitchen, living room and bathroom but there are also utterly fantastical rooms such as an art room with a giant spool of paper for 1,000,000 drawings, a flying room with no gravity, a racetrack room and a wonderful underwater room.

I have two favourite parts in this book. One is the wonderful blue print end papers - front and back are different. The other thing I love is the little black dog. When you pick up this book (which has just been released in paperback) try to find the dog - he is on every page and he loves all the adventures afforded by this brilliant house. Take an especially close look at the art room where Jack's dog has been used as a model for a sculpture. It is so funny.

There are two other books in this series:

I would pair this book with Andrew Henry's Meadow by Doris Burn.