Iggy Peck, Architect by Andrea Beaty

Iggy Peck with a few of my son’s Lego constructions

I love books that honor and show value to the incredible imagination that kids are born with. “Iggy Peck, Architect” is one of those books.

Iggy is a 2nd grader who has, since birth, been enthralled by buildings and construction. Towers built from diapers, castles of chalk, and a sphinx of mud…Iggy can build anything. But then he is confronted by a teacher who refuses to allow him to build. He is told he cannot pursue his passion any longer, until the day that it is only Iggy and his knowledge that can save the day.

Iggy Peck is wonderful because it celebrates a kid with an off-beat interest. It isn’t a story about the classically popular kid or the one who loves sports or cars. It is a kid who loves to create and use his imagination. And it’s a story where, in the end, an adult not only learns from a child, but then embraces him as a teacher in his own right.

From the cover shot you can get a sense of the whimsical illustration style. The text, while utilizing a rhyming pattern, is rarely predictable. I doubt many would anticipate a stanza rhyming “the group” with “eating cheese with a French circus troupe.” It makes it as fun for the reader as for the listener.

This book is recommended for readers aged 4-8, which feels on target.