The World Is Not a Rectangle: A Portrait of Architect Zaha Hadid

Zaha Hadid grew up in Iraq and saw all the beautiful shapes and movement in nature — grasses waving, rivers flowing, stones shaped by wind and water. She dreamed of creating buildings that would echo what she saw all around her in the sky and on the earth. She designed her own clothes and moved her furniture around to make her environment what she envisioned. When grown, she moved to London and studied architecture. She painted the cities she dreamed of building. She and some friends started an architectural firm in one small studio, and she worked hard to have the buildings built that she designed. Eventually, her dreams became reality and her firm grew to fill a whole building.

Author/illustrator Jeannette Winter has created a picture book to honor the work of Zaha Hadid using phrases she spoke and showing the mirror in Hadid’s mind that translated the shapes of nature into the buildings that echoed the natural world. Winter’s soft illustrations and gentle way with words will open youngster’s minds and hearts to the world Zaha Hadid envisioned. This is a delightful picture book biography children will enjoy and parents and teachers will be glad to share.