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Iggy Peck, Architect

(Questioneers Picture Books)

Andrea Beaty (Goodreads Author),

David Roberts (Illustrator)

4.46 · Rating details · 4,788 ratings · 556 reviews

A hilarious, irreverent book about doing your own thing

Meet Iggy Peck—creative, independent, and not afraid to express himself! In the spirit of David Shannon’s No, David and Rosemary Wells’s Noisy Nora, Iggy Peck will delight readers looking for irreverent, inspired fun.

Iggy has one passion: building. His parents are proud of his fabulous creations, though they’re somet ...more

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Hardcover, 32 pages

Published October 1st 2007 by Harry N. Abrams

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Average rating 4.46 ·

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· 4,788 ratings · 556 reviews

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Nov 24, 2007 Betsy rated it really liked it

It was pretty clear right from the start that Iggy Peck wasn't your normal toddler. No, by age two he'd discovered how to construct towers out of diapers (interesting, if not particularly sanitary). By three he used fruit to create his constructions, and by the time he hit the second grade he was getting more and more creative. That's when he got into Ms. Greer's class. Ms. Greer had once suffered an unfortunate incident in a very tall building, and the result is that she felt from there on in t It was pretty clear right from the start that Iggy Peck wasn't your normal toddler. No, by age two he'd discovered how to construct towers out of diapers (interesting, if not particularly sanitary). By three he used fruit to create his constructions, and by the time he hit the second grade he was getting more and more creative. That's when he got into Ms. Greer's class. Ms. Greer had once suffered an unfortunate incident in a very tall building, and the result is that she felt from there on in that, "all building-lovers were nuts." Forbidden to build, Iggy's spirit is crushed. That is, until the day the class is trapped on a small island with little hope of escape. Little hope, that is, until Iggy's skills prove useful when it comes to escape.

Of course I can already see the wild glint in the eyes of the parents who will hope against hope that by buying this book they will be able to coerce their own little Johnny or Jill into wanting to be an architect someday too. You can't hardly blame `em, neither. I mean, the combined efforts of author Andrea Beaty and illustrator David Roberts make this particular occupation look remarkably cool. Roberts bears much of the credit for this, I'll wager. His style appears to be nothing so much as Gerald McBoing Boing meets Frank Lloyd Wright. And I will wager good money that Mr. Roberts has probably flown under your radar until now. At this point in time he was probably best known for his Cinderella: An Art Deco Love Story, which gives you a fairly good sense of his tastes and styles. In "Iggy Peck", Roberts has channeled the style of the late 50s, early 60s instead. Iggy is a chipper soul with a thick patch of hair that flies straight out from the top of his head like a plane from a landing strip. The women in his life, that being his mother and his teacher Miss Lila Greer, sport some remarkable up-dos of their own. That alongside their natty sweaters, single print dresses, and high-button shoes, gives the book a kind of grounding in the history of American design. Fortunately for us, Roberts has not traveled so far back that he has failed to create a nicely multi-ethnic classroom. And might I say, much of the fun for grown-ups reading this book centers on getting to watch the clothes and shoes of the other kids in Iggy's class. Hairstyles too.

The story we find here is entirely reliant on liking your protagonist and appreciating his struggle. And you do like Iggy. Iggy's a pretty cool dude. A little too focused on a single all-consuming passion, maybe, but at least he knows what he likes. Ms. Andrea Beatty offers enough details here to get kids interested in not only Iggy's trials but that of his young teacher as well. The defining moment in Miss Greer's life, when she was trapped in an elevator with a French circus troupe, is sufficiently horrific to make anyone understand her dislike of tall buildings. The fact that the book is written in verse is a tough one though. If you're going to walk that line then you need to be just as careful as possible when it comes to scansion. So it is that lines like this sometimes had to give me pause: " `We're trapped here! Oh my! Alas, kids, good-bye!' / Her eyeballs rolled back in her head. / She dropped to the ground with a vague groaning sound. / (Luckily fainted - not dead)." I mean, you can make it work if you give a brief pause before the word "luckily", but anyone reading this book aloud is going to have to read it through a couple times before trying it out on the kids.

All that said, it's a treat. Original and enjoyable and lots of fun to read. And hey, if you want to use it to convince the youth of America that architecture is a fun and interesting occupation, by all means go ahead. ...more

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May 14, 2009 Kathryn rated it it was amazing

Shelves: childrens-picture-books, very-favorites

Outstanding!!! This gem is full of charm, humor, warmth, creativity and tenacity. Iggy Peck is a born architect--one of those lucky few who knows absolutely what he wants to do with his life and decides to do it in every way he can--starting by using his diapers to build a skyscraper! His parents encourage his creativity and talent, but when Iggy gets to second grade his teacher puts a damper on both. Because SHE does not like tall buildings (she had an unfortunate experience as a child!) no one ...more

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Dec 12, 2013 Eh?Eh! rated it really liked it

Shelves: goodreader-gave-to-me, babble-added

This book is that Flowers are Red song but with a budding/bloomed architect instead of a painter. I would argue that his final construction project is more structural engineering than architecture, but quibbling hairsplits doesn't matter. Sweet story. A gift from a sweet person. ...more

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Mar 11, 2019 Abigail rated it it was ok

Shelves: picture-books, young-artists, teachers, out-of-step-with-the-zeitgeist

I'm going to have to disagree with the majority of online reviewers on this one - I've looked on various sites, and it seems that everybody loves Iggy Peck! - because I found this picture-book celebration of "creativity!" and "marching to the beat of one's own drum" (the two themes most frequently singled out for praise, as far as I can make out), rather poorly done. A rhyming tale about young Iggy Peck, who liked to build things, and his conflict with his stodgy second-grade teacher, Miss Lila I'm going to have to disagree with the majority of online reviewers on this one - I've looked on various sites, and it seems that everybody loves Iggy Peck! - because I found this picture-book celebration of "creativity!" and "marching to the beat of one's own drum" (the two themes most frequently singled out for praise, as far as I can make out), rather poorly done. A rhyming tale about young Iggy Peck, who liked to build things, and his conflict with his stodgy second-grade teacher, Miss Lila Greer, who hated buildings - doesn't this just always happen?!? I often come across people with an irrational fear, not just of heights, but of buildings in general! - Iggy Peck, Architect was a distinct failure, when it came to arousing any sort of enthusiasm, textual or artistic, in me.

Some of this is personal, obviously. I didn't really care for David Roberts' artwork, although I did find his use of graphing paper, from time to time, quite intriguing. I didn't care for the themes, not because I don't believe that creativity, and marching to that individualistic drum are important, but because their presentation was so cliched. "Not another drubbing of the poor beleaguered school teacher, everybody's favorite punching bag these days!," I found myself thinking, as I read. "Not another paean to the poor misunderstood child genius, who, after all, only wants to build massive chalk castles, in the middle of his teacher's lesson about something else!" These issues, though, obviously struck other readers' differently. Other readers apparently appreciated the artwork here, and liked the presentation of the themes, which is fair enough. What has me scratching my head a little bit, is the praise they give the sing-songy narrative, which was often-times awkward and stilted, with rhymes that sometimes felt forced.

I'm bemused, as always, to be so out of step with the current zeitgeist - it does happen from time to time - but I guess in the end I'll take a page from Iggy's book, and just do my own thing. Which, in this case, involves not caring for Iggy Peck. ...more

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Apr 17, 2015 Carmen rated it really liked it

Recommends it for: Kids; Parents

Recommended to Carmen by: Book Store

Shelves: american-author, children, fiction, traditionally-published, she-says, published2007

When Iggy was three, his parents could see
his unusual passion would stay.
He built churches and chapels from peaches and apples
and temples from modeling clay.

I liked this better than Rosie Revere, Engineer. Iggy is a small boy who is an architectural genius. But what happens when he gets to the 2nd grade and comes face-to-face with a teacher who has a deep-seated fear of architecture rooted in her childhood?

Fun, innovative, with great illustrations and a positive message.

NOTES:
Graph paper end pap ...more

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Dec 24, 2019 Lata rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: auth-f, kids-and-ya, x2019-read

Cute, and funny use of a variety of unconventional building materials. Love the illustrations.

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Jan 24, 2018 La Coccinelle rated it it was ok · review of another edition

Shelves: children

This is probably the weakest book in the series I've read so far. I wasn't thrilled with the story (although the kid building stuff out his his dirty diapers was an amusing feat). I don't like seeing female characters fainting; it just perpetuates old stereotypes. And the meter in this one, for whatever reason, was clumsy. It was really a stretch in places, and it would be a bit difficult to read aloud.

Quotable moment:

"Good Gracious, Ignacious!" his mother exclaimed.
"That's the coolest thing I'v

...more

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Sep 28, 2015 Stefani Sloma rated it liked it

Really cute story with some wonderful illustrations. Not exactly one I would read in story time at the library as there are some parts where the text is rather long, but this one would be perfect for some one-on-one reading with the little builder in your life. A great story about not giving up and doing the things you love.

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May 18, 2009 Ann rated it it was amazing

Recommends it for: Parents, teachers - anyone with children in their life!

Recommended to Ann by: Katie!!

Shelves: picture-books, childrens-stories

What a refreshing story! The basic premise is a rhyming tale about young Iggy Peck who wants to be and Architect. From a toddler he starts building all sorts of things out of highly unusual materials. But when Iggy gets to second grade ends up with a teacher who's afraid of tall buildings. Consequently he's told that architecture in second grade is out of the question. With Iggy's passion removed, school suddenly becomes dull and uninteresting. However, of course, there is a grand chance for Igg ...more

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Dec 03, 2018 Melissa rated it really liked it

Shelves: read-2018

Had to complete the series while I was in a Hoopla binge. Not my favorite of the series, this one was more a they saved the day with their talent, instead of just encouraging them to explore more, so I think it muddled the message just a bit, but still good...even though I’m partial to the other two more.

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Nov 07, 2017 Melki rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: kidstuff, architecture

Young Iggy has a penchant for architecture, and likes nothing more than making elaborate structures using whatever is handy - dirt clods, fresh fruit, chalk, dirty diapers . . . Cute story with fun illustrations.

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Nov 11, 2011 David rated it liked it

Shelves: read-aloud, picturebooks

Iggy Peck, Architect by Andrea Beaty, illustrated by David Roberts is the quirky story of a young boy for whom building is a passion, and his teacher who dislikes architecture.

Iggy Peck starts creating buildings at two, starting with a smelly diaper tower, and a cat-inspired Sphinx of dirt clods. Iggy built churches, chapels, and temples from peaches, apples and clay. In 2nd grade his teacher Miss Greer made it clear she didn't like building, based on a childhood trauma. Iggy is deflated until, Iggy Peck, Architect by Andrea Beaty, illustrated by David Roberts is the quirky story of a young boy for whom building is a passion, and his teacher who dislikes architecture.

Iggy Peck starts creating buildings at two, starting with a smelly diaper tower, and a cat-inspired Sphinx of dirt clods. Iggy built churches, chapels, and temples from peaches, apples and clay. In 2nd grade his teacher Miss Greer made it clear she didn't like building, based on a childhood trauma. Iggy is deflated until, on a class field trip, he's able to rescue the class with his architecture skills.

The rhyming text is clever with some interesting rhymes and vocabulary: Good Gracious, Ignacious; build rhymed with killed, mention rhymed with suspension; and Quebec rhymed with Peck.

Most impressive are the illustrations, made with watercolor, pen, ink, pencil and graph paper. The pictures highlight both architecture and fashion of the late 1950's, pleasing to both children and adults. The little birds marching over Iggy's rescue bridge make me smile. Favorite images include the title page, the dirt-clod Sphinx, the first picture of teacher Greer, Lila Greer trapped in an elevator with the French circus troupe, the hike to Blue River Pass, the class constructing the bridge, and Iggy talking of historic buildings.

This quirky concoction is fun. I agree with some Goodreads reviewers that calling Iggy an architect when he is a builder seems off: my alternate titles would have been Iggy Hilder, Master Builder, or Iggy Speer, Construction Engineer. I enjoyed seeing the children cooperate to rescue themselves. I wish the buildings on the last page were identified or named.

I also agree with those who feel that portraying the teacher as the bad guy here seems to be both piling on in blaming teachers and a teaching moment gone wrong. I say this as the son and relative of many classroom teachers.

I recommend this for its quirkinees, creativity, illustrations and fun.

For ages 4 to 10, architecture, buildings, construction, humor, read-aloud, students, fashion, individualists, and fans of Andrea Beaty and David Roberts. ...more

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Sep 29, 2008 paula rated it it was amazing

Shelves: children-s, picture-books, favorites, great-books-for-kindergartners

There's a lady with a beehive hairdo and a beauty spot on the cover of this book - a sure-fire signifier of "quirky," perhaps even "offbeat". And let me tell you, it ain't just the illustrations! (although now I'm craving Iggy's mom's Pucci-esque caftans and Twiggy A-lines) The story is fun and the wordplay is quirky in this book about a second-grade engineering prodigy.

"Young Iggy Peck is an architect
and has been since he was two,
when he built a great tower - in only an hour -
with nothing b ...more

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Nov 20, 2011 Dolly rated it really liked it

Recommends it for: parents reading with their children

Shelves: childrens, picture-book-club, 2011, canada, rhyming, other-usa, pets, italy-italian-roman, education-school, france-french

This is a hilarious and whimsical look at a child prodigy who is in turn encouraged and discouraged from pursuing his passion for building buildings and other structures. The rhythmic and rhyming narrative is very entertaining and the illustrations are fabulous. It's a terrific book to read aloud and we really enjoyed reading this story together.

This book was featured as one of the selections for the November 2011 Inventors-themed reads for the Picture-Book Club in the Children's Books Group he ...more

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Jun 10, 2017 Sylvester rated it it was amazing

Shelves: squirt, 2017, adventure, children-s, humor, kid-s-faves

3* art
5* story/rhyme

"Good gracious, Ignacious!" You've got to love a book with a line like that in it. Like her other books, this one is about a child who is different, feels misunderstood, but who is full of ideas and plans, and continues on with them in spite of everything. So positive and humorous. I highly recommend.

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Oct 18, 2017 Rachel Nicole Wagner rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Pursue your dreams

A beautifully illustrated tale with an empowering message to never give up on you dreams and keep pursuing your passions. A MUST read for children of all ages!

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Aug 29, 2019 Chance Lee rated it it was amazing

Shelves: picture-it, storytime

I hadn't read this book in years and forgot how fun it is to read aloud. Great rhymes, beautiful illustrations, inspirational story for the kids and fun stuff for the adults.

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Oct 08, 2012 Claire Russell rated it really liked it

Iggy Peck is an unusual child who has a passion for design and architecture from a young age. He builds his first building from nappies and glue when he is two years old and continues building fantastic buildings until he gets to Grade 2. Miss Lila Greer, his second grade teacher is not keen on architecture and states it has 'no place in grade two'. Iggy is downhearted and the 12 days which follow are 'a haze of reading, writing and arithmetic'. Whilst on a class trip, disaster strikes when a br ...more

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Dec 31, 2013 Anna Richland rated it liked it

Shelves: teaching-art, kids, travel, art

The illustrations far surpass the text - my children enjoyed the book with me, because we talk about the pictures, but it's not one they pick up on their own.

It's definitely worth reading from the library, and the message about creativity at school is timely as more and more schools (ours included) seem to become very boilerplate, but there was some essential spark that I wasn't finding.

Maybe it's just the gray weather as I write this - or maybe it's the fact that even a small child can recogn ...more

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Jul 31, 2014 Michael Daines rated it it was ok

The great failing of this book is the negative portrayal of the second-grade teacher. We live in society that is attacking teachers in the press and politics, and I'm of the strong opinion that this is flat-out wrong. Sure, as my kids get older, they are going to encounter any number of stories with "evil" teachers, but for the target age range of this book, it's just inappropriate.

I read through this book because the author's other book — "Rosie Revere, Engineer" — is an absolute gem. The inten ...more

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Sep 12, 2016 Heidy Villalvazo rated it really liked it

The book “Iggy Peck Architect” is about a boy named Iggy Peck that loves to build and wants to be an architect. It is also about about how he makes buildings and structures out of school supplies, edible stuff, other random stuff he finds. He has a difficult time doing what he love because his teacher doesn’t like buildings. at the end Iggy and his class go on a field trip and they get stuck on a hill because the bridge brook so Iggy helps out to build a bridge. The class gets to the other side ...more

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Nov 02, 2010 Jodi rated it it was amazing

Shelves: childrens

Clever, fantastic illustrations, and quite hilarious. My one quibble is that, before I even opened the book, my daughter asked what an architect was. My son correctly answered that it is a person who designs buildings, not the person who builds them. We then open the book to find Iggy Peck, Architect/Builder. In spite of that, lines like "Good gracious Ignacious!" are enough to make up for that semantic error.

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Nov 06, 2011 ABC rated it really liked it

Shelves: younger-kids

Iggy loves to design and build structures, but he is discouraged by his teacher. Apparently his teacher got lost in a tall building in second grade. (My son thought it was funny that she was found eating cheese with a circus troupe.) Of course, Iggy proves that architecture is a GOOD thing.

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Dec 26, 2010 Jennifer Palmer rated it it was amazing

Shelves: childrens

My new favorite children's book. This book is about letting a child be a child and use their imagination to build and create.

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Nov 25, 2013 Jen rated it liked it

Shelves: he-likes-it-mikey-likes-it, children-s

Three point five. The story was a little scattered here and there, but I liked that the kill-joy teacher learns a lesson in the end.

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Jul 10, 2014 Carolyn rated it it was amazing

Shelves: fiction, graphic

Fantastic art. Cool story.

note to self & those interested (Teale!): altho Iggy & his teacher are white, his class is presented as very diverse!

Sending to my nephew for his birthday. ...more

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May 24, 2017 Alison rated it it was amazing

Of the three books so far in this children's series by Andrea Beaty, this is the strongest and my favorite. The messaging makes it tops in that the main character, Iggy, is not made to be the main, lone hero, rather it is the way in which his gifts work through his whole class to become heroic and the story-changer. Superb and very refreshing messaging here for a children's book that is not in typical pattern of other popular story books. The rhyming is cute with creative and humorous ideas for ...more

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Jun 07, 2018 Rachel rated it liked it

Technically this one was read To me, but Ima count it. It's just as cute as Ada Twist, Scientist. Same concept, same story set up even. Kid is awesome, parents are unsure, kid gets more curious- kid goes to school a thing happens, they have to sit alone and think- kid prevails and it's wonderful!

I don't mind the pattern, now that I know it's a pattern at least. I still love the concept and the story itself, which earns it its three stars.

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Mar 02, 2020 Julie added it

Shelves: picture-beginning-books

Beaty, Andrea. Iggy Peck, Architect.

In this humorous and visually unique picture book from Andrea Beaty, the reader is introduced to the brilliant and self-confident Iggy Peck. From infancy, Iggy Peck has been a producer of creative and unusual structures. As he grows older, Iggy's love of architecture is challenged by his second grade teacher who hates it. Despite a few roadblocks, Iggy's ingenuity and ability to collaborate with other saves the day.

This is a popular book among teachers and stu ...more

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Oct 20, 2017 Hannah Higson rated it liked it

Shelves: poetry, picturebooks

This book didn’t really capture me as much as I thought it may do.
I think the illustrations are really well done, allowing the children to infer more about the story than they are told.
I would also use this in DT for children to have a go at junk modelling.
Rhyme is used well in this book to create the pace.

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About Andrea Beaty

Andrea Beaty

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For more information, visit my website (www.AndreaBeaty.com).

Also, visit www.Questioneers.com for posters, activities, educator resources, and other information about the Questioneer books.

Further, check out Story Time From Space to see Ada Twist and Rosie Revere read at the International Space Station by astronauts! It’s out of this world.

https://storytimefromspace.com/ada-tw... ...more