Winston Churchill said, ‘We shape our buildings and afterwards our buildings shape us.’ The influence that architecture has on how we live our lives is grand in scale, but easy to miss. The first book in a new series from The School of Life, What Adults Don’t Know About Architecture focuses on helping the reader to find self-understanding and connection. It’s a book aimed at inspiring young minds to build a more beautiful world.

This innovative guide teaches the basic principles of architecture in a relatable style associating concepts with everyday things, like a favourite sports team or creating a recipe. It asks the reader, what kind of person is this building? If this building were speaking to me, what would it be speaking about? By linking architecture with methods that can be easily understood, the book simplifies concepts, engages the mind, and the young reader can begin to see what makes a street enticing, or what might be considered undesirable in a city.

With photography and artwork throughout referencing a wide range of styles from all over the world, including some local Melbourne sites such as the La Trobe Reading Room (‘The Dome’, page 56) in the State Library Victoria, and the Green Chemical Futures building (page 12) at Monash University, this is a clever start to a series that will encourage eager minds to look more deeply. Additionally, we can look forward to What Adults Don’t Know About Art, which is also due to be released on 8 December. Brilliant for Ages 9+.

Claire Atherfold is the manager and the children’s book buyer at Readings State Library.