Do you know the story of the man who designed one of Paris’ most famous landmarks?
Jeanne Walker Harvey has visited my blog before. She studied literature and psychology at Stanford University and has worn many job hats, ranging from being a roller coaster ride operator to an attorney, a middle school language arts teacher, and a long-time docent for school groups at the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art. She is the award-winning author of several books for young readers, including the picture book biographies Else B. in the Sea: The Woman Who Painted the Wonders of the Sea, Dressing up the Stars: The Story of Movie Costume Designer Edith Head, Ablaze with Color: A Story of Painter Alma Thomas, Maya Lin: Artist-Architect of Light and Lines, and The Glass Pyramid: A Story of the Louvre Museum and Architect I. M. Pei. Jeanne lives in Northern California. You can learn more about her at her website or follow her on Twitter, Instagram, or BlueSky.
THE GLASS PYRAMID:
Please note: I received a copy of this book from the publisher to review, but the opinions, as always, are my own.
Welcome back Jeanne!
Me: You have written many nonfiction picture book biographies. You have quite a knack for finding stories I’ve never heard of before. How did you first find out about I.M. Pei, the architect who designed the Louvre?
Jeanne: Oh! I love that you say that! That’s exactly what I’m always hoping to do: find and share interesting, creative and inspirational people who may not have received the attention they deserve. I’ve always been drawn to minimalist modern architecture, so I.M. Pei was definitely in that category. I first experienced his style of architecture when I lived in Washington DC for a summer and frequently visited the incredible East Building of the National Gallery that he designed.
Me: What was it about his story that grabbed you and made you want to write about it? What gave you the idea to turn it into a picture book?
Jeanne: I love the minimalist design of the glass pyramid of the Louvre Museum; I think it was the perfect solution for adding an entrance to the museum. He was so right to not try to mimic the architecture of the Louvre, but to instead create something completely different. And then when I learned about the challenges and obstacles I.M. Pei faced, I knew this was the story I wanted to tell.
I LOVE being a picture book author because it always feels like pure magic when the illustrations and words are combined into a book. When I write, I vaguely envision the illustrations, but I’m always enthralled when I see the artist’s actual choices. And Khoa Le so beautifully illustrated THE GLASS PYRAMID. She not only accurately represented the complex architectural details of the Louvre, but she also conveyed I.M. Pei’s varied emotions and experiences.
Me: Can you tell us a bit about your research process? How long did it take you to research all the different facts and tidbits that went into this story?
Jeanne: Whenever I’m researching a picture book biography, I seek primary sources. I want to hear directly from the person, whenever possible! And I was lucky in the case of I.M Pei because he was frequently interviewed and gave talks that were recorded (and which I reference in the source section of THE GLASS PYRAMID).
I never quite know how to answer the question of how long it takes me to research a particular book because I tend to work on them in fits and spurts. It all depends how quickly I can find the resources I’m seeking. I’d say it definitely took me at least a year of research in the case of THE GLASS PYRAMID.
Me: I love how you showed I.M. Pei’s fears of discovery and struggles to solve the problems. It really made his design work thrilling. How many revisions did it take for this story to get to this state? (Please tell me it wasn’t a one-draft-gift-from-the-muse!)
Jeanne: Oh goodness no! I’ve never been a one-draft person. I’m constantly tweaking and rewriting my manuscripts. I actually started writing the book about I.M. Pei by focusing on all of his buildings. And then I realized I was particularly drawn to the challenges he faced not only in coming up with the idea for the glass pyramid, but the obstacles in getting the approval and support of the French people to build the pyramid at their beloved Louvre.
Me: Khoa Le’s illustrations in this book are wonderful. I love the way she included French leaf flourishes in the air around I.M. Pei as he struggled to design. Did you have any illustration surprises? Any favorite illustrations?
Jeanne: I couldn’t agree more! Khoa Le’s illustrations are truly stunning! And yes, those French leaf flourishes are such a brilliant way of showing I.M. Pei lost in thought as he conjures up ideas for remodeling the Louvre. That was the biggest surprise. I honestly don’t think I can choose favorite illustrations because I’m truly enamored by every spread. Khoa does such an amazing job showing accurate architectural details of the Louvre while also weaving in I.M. Pei’s life experiences and challenges. I just feel I could step into these incredible illustrations and join his world.
Me: I.M. Pei was a famous architect for many reasons. What was it about this particular story that you wanted to share with young readers?
Jeanne: I wanted to share not only I.M. Pei’s tremendous creativity, but also his patience and perseverance facing challenges and discrimination as an Asian American.
Me: At this point in your career, you have written and published quite a few nonfiction picture books. What is one thing you have learned along the way, one thing that you wish you had known earlier, that you might share with other new writers of nonfiction picture books?
Jeanne: That’s such an interesting question. I definitely would say that one should focus on topics you’re passionate about because that passion will come through in the writing and hopefully grab the reader. Also, read read read books in the area that interests you. I have a blog on my website that only features picture book biographies, and many of those are about artists and creative people which is my main interest. I’m constantly learning from other writers as to how they have chosen to tell a person’s story.
Thanks so much for such an interesting interview! I really enjoyed these questions. I so appreciate all you do for our kidlit community – authors, readers, librarians, parents and anyone who loves children’s literature.
Aww! You’re welcome! Thank you for stopping by my blog again today Jeanne.
But wait, dear readers! There’s more! While this book is published May 27th, there is a giveaway being offered during the blog tour (please note that I am not running it).
You can enter for a chance to win these prizes: THREE winners will receive signed copies of The Glass Pyramid: A Story of the Louvre Museum and Architect I. M. Pei, plus a Louvre tote bag. ONE grand prize winner will receive a tote bag and a class set of 30 books. Enter here! Good luck!