"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.
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):
Further reading for teachers and adults:
Doco Mo Mo Australia
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