I'm excited to be invited to be a speaker as part of the Americian Institute of Architects (AIA) sponsored Architecture Week for students! 🎉 Teachers, librarians, homeschoolers, anyone interested in architecture, design and new ideas can sign up now to get a FREE zoom link to join me: https://www.aia.org/community/events/architecture-week-202! I'll be giving away signed books too!
My two presentations:
Tuesday April 14th from 1 - 1:30 PM EST for storytime and Q & A of THE GLASS PYRAMID: A Story of the Louvre Museum and Architect I.M. Pei illustrated by Khoa Le.
AND/OR
Tuesday April 14th from 2 - 2:30 PM EST for storytime and Q & A of MAYA LIN: Artist-Architect of Light and Lines illustrated by Dow Phumiruk.
Architecture Week is a nationwide celebration recognizing the power of good design, with a goal of inspiring hopeful architecture and design professionals and K-12 students.
Updated: Feb 27
I was pleased to be interviewed for AIArchitect magazine regarding two of my picture book biographies: THE GLASS PYRAMID: A Story of the Louvre Museum and Architect I.M Pei and MAYA LIN: Artist Architect of Light and Lines.Thank you to architect Lori Apfel Cardeli for such a terrific article, "How authors shape early design literacy" (part of a three part series).
Here's a taste:
"The emphasis on perseverance is echoed in Jeanne Walker Harvey’s work.
In The Glass Pyramid, Harvey explores Pei’s vision for the Louvre and the resistance it faced. In Maya Lin: Artist–Architect of Light and Lines, she traces the evolution of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial, including the criticism Maya Lin encountered as a young designer.
Harvey shared that children are often captivated by unexpected details, like Maya Lin sculpting an early memorial model out of mashed potatoes. These moments demystify architecture, showing that powerful ideas can begin in unconventional ways.
'Even highly regarded architects face challenges,” Harvey noted. “I want kids to understand that believing in your ideas matters—even when others don’t right away.'"
Oh la la! 🌟 I'm so honored that the wonderful Legion of Honor Museum shop in San Francisco is featuring our children's picture book, THE GLASS PYRAMID: A Story of the Louvre Museum and Architect I.M. Pei illustrated by Khoa Le, as part of their French themed display tied to the exhibit, "Manet & Morisot".
I signed books (always thrilling) and savored reading the "STAFF RECOMMENDS" review:
"This is the story of Chinese-American architect I.M. Pei, who designed the famous glass pyramid at the Louvre Museum in Paris. Through elegant text and illustrations, young readers learn about his surprising inspirations: from the formal gardens of Versailles to organic rock gardens at his family’s retreat in Suzhou, China. When plans for the new pyramid were unveiled, the public reaction was not positive. Once completed, this iconic landmark was recognized as one of the Louvre’s treasures."
And THE GLASS PYRAMID and our ABLAZE WITH COLOR about artist Alma Thomas are also both available on their online shop! ❤️
