Architecture Books for Kids
Built to Last
If you like to build and you like to build with friends, then this might be the book for you. Illustrations are luscious and magical. And we like the emphasis on friendship too.
Architecture: The Whole Story
Well is it really the WHOLE story? Wouldn’t that be the biggest book in the world? It is a good overview of the built environment in any case – not really a kids book, but a good book to read with kids.
Drawing for Architecture has sweet hand drawn illustrations about different aspects of architecture. It is an adult level book and with drawings that a kid would love.
A World of Your Own
This is definitely our new favorite book. We love this illustrator, Laura Carlin, who has a loose and often funny style that encourages kids to look at the environment in interesting ways.
Fantasy Gnome Homes Coloring Book A coloring book with silly or maybe goofy or maybe kooky make-believe homes for Gnomes. Might be good for those who like gnomes.
A Home Can Be. . .: A Book About Different Homes & Habitats
Cute illustrations and large type with a sweet story that creates a peacefulness
Mr Pei’s Perfect Shapes
This book is about a very famous big time architect named I.M. Pei, who designed a bunch of famous buildings, including the glass pyramid at the Louvre Museum in Paris.
Lonely Planet Kids How Cities Work 1 (How Things Work)
Up and down, inside and outside, you can explore how a city works with this book. (for kids around 6 years old.)
Awesome Engineering Activities for Kids
So many cool things to build for kids to learn about how things move, stand up and support weight. (for kids 5-10 years old.)
How Was That Built?
Written by a structural engineer, this book gives great insight into HOW these structures were made in an easy to read technical way, versus only visual.
Why Humans Build Up
A cool book that talks about why and how we build tall structures. for 9-12 year olds.
Concrete from the Ground Up
A fascinating foray into this material we see and use everyday, written with joy and humor
My First Shapes with Frank Lloyd Wright
A book to read for babies who you are preparing to be architects! Start early…
A Semi-Complete Survey of New York City Architectural Typologies and Stylistic Movements, for Babies. That title is rather absurd but the book is short and sweet about the Big Apple
Architecture for Teens
A book with practical advice for young folks who are considering the field
The Future Architect’s Handbook
Less of a project book and more of a book to learn about different types of drawings and architecture background, this book is interesting for middle school aged kids.
Adventures in Architecture for Kids: 30 Design Projects
This book will take you through general construction ideas, through sustainable architecture and more
for school aged kids
Creative Houses – Coloring Book for Kids
It’s a very simple coloring book for young kids or for folks who want some basic shapes
for families
We feel a bit mixed about this book- it is very short and has some great intro ideas, but it is a bit overwhelming visually. Some folks like it and others do not because the pages are very busy and content is light.
for families
Architecture According to Pigeons
A quirky way to explore famous architecture throughout the world. Travel with a pigeon and see structures that may be familiar, but see them through a bird brain.
for young kids
Some of the images are beautiful and the idea of teaching kids about symmetry through seeing these Chinese buildings through time is great. But beware that the text is not written for a kid level and there is a lot of it.
for families
The Little Architect’s Alphabet: Learning your letters through design
Another little book for little kids to learn about architecture words.
for young kids
A is for Architrave, B is for Balustrade
Another simple alphabet book for young readers. Only one word per page spread so easy to read.
for very young kids
A couple of architects designed this wonderfully illustrated adventure to find a perfect house for you!
for any age
Not really an architecture book, but one filled with neat illustrations and good ideas by David Byrne and illustrated by Maira Kalman
for families
A bunch of DIY structures that you might try to build or draw as a family!
for families
With interesting and exciting architecture challenges, this book has templates, project cards and stories too. Cover is deceivingly bland, isn’t it?
for school age kids through middle school
The World Is Not a Rectangle: A Portrait of Architect Zaha Hadid
Zaha Hadid was one of the most famous architects in the world and it was not always easy. Learn about the journey.
for school age kids
Kids can learn about what it takes to be an architect. All sorts of fun treats in this book – cards and posters etc, as well as activities to try out.
for school age kids
Baby 101: Architecture for Babies
Zaha Hadid was one of the most famous architects in the world and it was not always easy. Learn about the journey. As you would expect, this book is a board book for wee ones.
for school age kids
Meet the Architect: Frank Lloyd Wright
This is an interactive and fun book with pull tabs, pop-ups and sliders, photos and more!
for school age kids
Architecture: Cool Women Who Design Structures
Go women architects! Three women are discussed in this book, which is a rare book to focus on female architects!
for school age kids
This is about a sister and brother who help each other through their imaginations to travel around. The illustrations are lovely drawings that are colored and then cut out and used in collage with drop shadows.
for young kids
13 Buildings Children Should Know
So you probably are asking, “Why 13?” “Why not 11 or 12 or 632?” Perhaps this author thought that 13 was a lucky number! For kids around 10 years old, this book has some activities and stuff to do, besides read, and that might be interesting for some of you, younguns.
for young kids
This fascinating book – it is not a story book but a unique book that works almost like a workbook for various design issues and solutions – it is for older kids or adults and so very interesting we could not resist listing it here!
for older kids and adults
A Visual Dictionary of Architecture
The illustrations in this book are pretty great. It would be fun to look through and start a conversation with a child based on these drawings and ideas. They can trace things from it, you can blow up some of the illustrations and color them in, you can try to use the illustrations to find examples in your neighborhood.
for older kids and adults
All the Buildings in New York: That I’ve Drawn So Far
Illustrations of New York City buildings, not always famous, but always interesting with lots of details. See what we wrote about it.
for all ages
An Eames Primer: Revised Edition
The Eames’s were significant designers in the 20th century, truly changing the way things were manufactured and designed. They designed spaces, their incredible studio, toys, films and other stuff too. This book is an introduction to them and their ideas, written by their grandson, whose first name is Eames.
for older kids and adults
A book that illustrates and defines what you need to know to make architectural drawings. Interesting as a talking point to start a conversation with students.
for older kids and adults
Baby’s First Eames: From Art Deco to Zaha Hadid
A board book for parents who want their kids to be architects!
for younger kids
Becoming an Architect: A Guide to Careers in Design
An interesting resource for someone who thinks that being an architect would be the greatest thing to do. There are interviews with real live architects and we get to find out why someone might have become an architect and what kinds of challenges he or she faces.
for older kids and adults
A picture book about the Brooklyn Bridge and this remarkable story of construction, difficulties, and achievements.
for younger kids
Byron Barton writes books for the younger set – starting at around 4 year olds. This one is about how buildings get built – obvious, we guess. But it is solid and a good foundation for any kid.
for younger kids
Another David Macaulay book, but we like this one better. It seems to explain things in a thorough way about why decisions are made when buildings are planned and built.
for all ages
Building on Nature: The Life of Antoni Gaudi
Read this if you have want an introduction to Gaudi, the famous Spanish architect who believed that all buildings should be soft and furry. For a younger child, it does instill the curiosity about this unique style so that you want to go right to Barcelona and witness it in person.
for younger kids
Christopher Wren: The Avian Architect
For kids around 3rd-5th grade, this story is about a bird trying to build the best birdhouse ever.
for medium kids
Coloring Architecture: a built environment coloring book
A coloring book with drawings of interior spaces that are so much fun to color! (OK, we admit that we wrote it at archKIDecture!)
for all ages
Nice job of introducing basic architecture concepts with hand drawn illustrations.
for young kids
Designs by Frank Lloyd Wright Coloring Book (Frank Lloyd Wright Collection)
If you like Frank’s architecture, you are going to like these patterns that he designed too. Try coloring with your favorite markers or crayons
for all ages
Draw 50 Buildings and Other Structures: The Step-by-Step Way to Draw
Just as the name implies, you can get a start on learning how to draw some famous buildings in a quick and clear step by step manner that makes it seem so easy. Great for impressing your friends and relatives!
for all ages
Draw Me A House: A Book of Colouring in, Ideas and Architectural Inspiration
Great pen and ink sketches allow kids to color them in or finish a drawing, while learning about a range of buildings and styles – so it is interactive, in the old fashioned kind of way (versus the high tech way.)
for all ages
Dreaming Up: A Celebration of Building
We like this book very much, The illustrations are paired up: there are kids playing with a variety of toys on the left page and a real building on the right page and they work together to illustrate the simple poems that are written with the images. And the back of the book has a listing of all of the real buildings with info on the architects who designed them too.
for young kids
Famous Buildings of Frank Lloyd Wright
A delightful coloring book for anyone interested in one of the most famous American architect’s work.
for all ages
Frank Lloyd Wright for Kids: His Life and Ideas, 21 Activities
Just like it sounds, this book is an introduction to Frank Lloyd Wright. It is good and we like it.
for young and medium kids
This book by Lynn Curlee, offers a deeper understanding of the construction of this famous American structure in New York.
for young and medium kids
Fun Projects for You and the Kids
You might find some interesting things to build, like a raft or a spaceship, but why is it relevant here? Because you can also build lots of structures, including teepees and castles and houses too.
for all ages
Gargoyles, Girders & Glass Houses
By Bo Zaunders, Gargoyles, Girders and Glass Houses is a close-up look at the construction of a few famous structures from around the world. Author Bo picked some really great buildings to focus on.
for all ages
As long as we are thinking of Barcelona and Antonio Gaudi, and if we cannot make it to the plane on time, let’s get a 3D look at his fantastic works in this pop-up book. Courtney Watson McCarthy is the author and a “paper engineer” – cool job, right?
for all ages
Photos and drawings to help kids and adults to build their own structures. It is a great book for this kind of hands-on activity.
for medium and older kids
House and Homes (Around the World)
This is a beautiful photographic book about houses around the world, with a multicultural twist. It is a lovely book to look through, without too much text.
for all ages
How Big is a Foot? by Rolf Myller is about measurement and thus related to architecture and the skills needed to build. We thought it was a clever way to teach young kids about measuring.
for young kids
How to Build Treehouses, Huts and Forts
This is an excellent how-to book for building all kinds of treehouses.
for all ages
Hundertwasser: Create Your Own City
Hundertwasser has a magical creative sense. These stickers can be affixed to plain old cardboard and you can make a decorative city instantly.
for young and medium kids
The story of a boy designing a really crazy house – like you might do!
for young kids
By Andrea Beaty, this is a funny, sort of quirky book about a little kid who is a self-starter…and who does his own thing, to eventually save the day!
for young and medium kids
The New York Times wrote that this book makes New York seem “like a place you want to get lost in” focusing on buildings and fun facts. By the author, Marc Brown, who wrote the Arthur series.
for young and medium kids
Little Bets: How Breakthrough Ideas Emerge from Small Discoveries
This book is pretty sophisticated for kids, but it does have some interesting stories about how to tackle problems by creating smaller issues to solve and then working the whole thing out bit by bit. There are some good tidbits about Frank Gehry and his solutions to designing complex structures.
for older kids and adults
Moxie: The Dachshund of Fallingwater
Moxie gives you the dog-eyes perspective of the great architectural wonder of Falling Water, in Pennsylvania.
for young and medium kids
Great detailed illustrations with a female architect as the hero. That is sort of unusual in itself!
for young and medium kids
By William Low, this book is a great close-up of a place. This old train station in New York City has been torn down, but it is a great memory book about how that place made people feel.
Maybe it will make you fight for preservation of our historic buildings!
for young and medium kids
Make your own buildings out of paper using the great photo lessons in the book, as well as the patterns from the CD. Intricate and delicate, this is geared for any child who can master an arts knife, like an exacto. We recommend this for folks who like to do detailed work. By Yee.
for medium or older kids and adults
This square starts out whole and immediately gets ripped into pieces and shot with holes. But it is able to pick up it’s pieces and make itself new and maybe even better.
for young kids
Picturing Wright: An Album from Frank Lloyd Wright’s Photographer
Not a kid’s book, but a book with dreamy photographs of the famous Frank Lloyd Wright and his projects. And photos were taken by his personal photographer so there are intimate stories by someone who knew Frank well.
for all ages
For those of you with an interest in the architecture of London, voila! But keep away from young kids who tend to rip the pages up in any pop-up!
for young kids
Round Buildings, Square Buildings, and Building that Wiggle Like a Fish
With 100 color photographs, this book introduces some basic ideas for observing architecture. There are images of Moorish baths and Grange Hall in Main, adobe churches and the Citicorp Center in New York City.Easy to read without too much text.
for young kids
Sod Houses on the Great Plains
Everything a young child needs to know about sod houses, but was afraid to ask or did not know how to ask. Or know to ask what a sod house is.
for young and medium kids
Steve Caney’s Ultimate Building Book
We thought this was a really cool book that was so chock full of ideas, might not need another book! WE love this book and hope to meet Steve someday to talk over the ideas with him.
for all ages
This is a cool video that teaches real terms about construction and building from blueprinst to construction site to the final finished house. Only 28 minutes, it would work well in a classroom or workshop.
for all ages
We love a pop-up book -and this one takes us from ancient structures to modern day buildings. A good overview.
for young kids
This is indeed an activity book – with pages to color, words to search and buildings to identify. It might be fun for a car ride or to distract a 7-10 year old while you are busy.
for young and medium kids
The City Out My Window: 63 Views on New York
Written by an architect and writer, this author asked 63 people who live in New York, what they see out their windows, and the architect drew the view. What results is a sweet book of people’s perspectives on what they see and how their view from their space effects them. The line drawings are wonderful and the folks who are interviewed are interesting people – artists and musicians and others too.
for all ages
About three dolls living in a cottage, with beautiful illustrations. Sweet and lovely.
for young and middle kids
An interesting idea that covers 300 years at the same spot, from a forest through a house.
for young and middle kids
The Man Who Walked Between the Towers
We love this book because the Frenchman is so unbelievable in it and it is a beautiful memory for the World Trade Center.
for young and middle kids
Modern Architecture Pop-Up Book
See how modern architecture looks in a 3-dimensional perspective with this book
for young kids
The Outcasts of 19 Schuyler Place
E.L. Konigsburg wrote “From the Mixed-up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler“, which was one of our favorite books as kids. I think that this book is wonderful too because of the main character, a girl who has a lot of fight in her – a girl willing to stand up for what she believes in – and it happens to be an architectural structure.
for middle and older kids
The Three Little Pigs: An Architectural Tale
Guess who these three pigs are? They are modeled on Phillip Johnson, Frank Gehry and Frank Lloyd Wright – Three Big-Time, famous American architects!
for young and middle kids
This is one of our favorite architecture “idea” books. It is costly and sort of mature, but it is the kind of book you can keep your whole life, and just pick it up to think about the built environment in different ways. It is a sort of philosophy that is very good for stretching your brain. It is not directly for young kids, but it can beread and interpreted for them…we know they are smart and wll understand it.
for older kids and adults
There Goes the Neighborhood: 10 Buildings People Loved to Hate
Susan Goldman Rubin wrote this book which has a subtitle of “!0 Buildings that People Love to Hate.” For kids aged 8-12, it is a cool book of stories that are sort of behind the scene and make for good storytelling.
for middle kids
Those Building Men is a poetic book that reflects back on all of the men (not women, we are afraid!) who built our buildings, bridges and other structures. It makes you think a bit more abstractly on this concrete subject, written by Angela Johnson.
for middle and older kids
Twenty-One Elephants and Still Standing
Written by April Jones Prince, this book is a fun twist on the story of the Brooklyn Bridge and how the famous circus man, P.T. Barnum used the bridge to walk his elephants.
for younger and middle kids
A David McCauley book with meticulous illustrations and details, this is always fun to look at. With some more information, this would be the base for the whole world explained.
for all ages
Under Every Roof: A Kid’s Style and Field Guide to the Architecture of American Houses
This is a decent book about American architecture, also known as domestic architecture. This one might be worth a gander.
for young and middle kids
Up Goes the Skyscraper by Gail Gibbons is another great book that teaches kids about how a structure is made, with enough nuggets of interest to make it a good read and not a yawner.
for young kids
A well-illustrated book about ten important bridges from around the world.
for young and middle kids
Nice illustrations about various skyscrapers around the world, including relatively newest and coolest buildings, with interesting facts about what makes these structures special. Lots of detail in the illustrations too.
for young and middle kids
Why Buildings Stand Up: The Strength of Architecture
“Why Buildings Stand Up” by Mario Salvadori is notorious in the land as one of the main architecture books for kids. There is even a Salvadori Center in New York for kids to study this stuff.
for medium and older kids and adults too
Imaginative but slightly odd story about someone who is persistent and gets what he is aiming for.
for younger kids
Architecture Books for Kids
archKIDecture is an Amazon Associate.