THE GLASS PYRAMID featured on the 31 Days, 31 Lists: 2025 Unique Biographies for Kids !

Thrilled that the esteemed Betsy Bird chose our book!! Here's her review:

"Not the first Pei picture book we’ve seen but the first that focuses squarely on the construction of his work on the Louvre.

It’s funny, but 2025 was a year when I was paying a lot more attention to how architects were portrayed in media. The film The Brutalist, for example, (out in 2024) was very much of the Genius Misunderstood type of take, which is a dangerous way to grapple with architecture as a field (think: Atlas Shrugged).

So the challenge of Jeanne Walker Harvey here was to portray I.M. Pei not as a stubborn man fighting a corrupt system, but simply of someone placed in a difficult position (an “outsider” to the French working on their beloved Louvre) who has to stick to their guns on their vision while also working to persuade people to see things his way. But gently.

At one point Harvey writes, “So, during difficult newspaper and TV interviews, he focuses his energy on the Confucian teachings his grandfather taught him. Never show anger. Express oneself calmly and clearly. Be patient.” Lessons I’d love to see utilized a lot more in discussions these days.

The art of Khoa Le adapts perfectly, never shying away from the more geometrical structures at work.

But, being me, my favorite part is undeniably when the Pei introduces a model of his pyramid to the French for the first time. “A cheap-looking tacky diamond!” Great writing."