Shelf Awareness--Curve and Flow

PB Review: Curve and Flow

Curve and Flow: The Elegant Vision of L.A. Architect Paul R. Williams by Andrea J. Loney, illus. by Keith Mallett (Knopf Books for Young Readers, 48p., ages 4-8, 9780593429075)

Curve and Flow tells the inspiring story of Paul R. Williams, a gifted architect who worked hard to achieve success despite early 20th-century racism in the U.S.

Los Angeles-born Paul "loves to draw and draw--especially buildings!" As a boy who dreams of designing his own home someday, he delights in the "swooping lines of L.A. [that] curve and flow around him." Unfortunately, the "big stone wall of racism" blocks his path. But Paul "loves a challenge," and even though no one has "ever heard of a Negro architect," he's determined to "take a curve and flow around" the problem. He studies, hones his skills and wins contest after contest with his clean and clever designs. He's hired by a top architectural firm in L.A., then starts his own business. Paul designs "bold, dazzling, innovative, and unforgettable" homes--houses he's not allowed to live in because "a huge invisible wall of laws... blocks Black people from living in many parts of Los Angeles." But he never stops believing he'll design his own home, never stops working, planning, building, curving and flowing until he makes his dream come true.

Andrea J. Loney's (Double Bass Blues) lyrical approach and recurring metaphors allow her to relate Williams's story deftly and with a gentle hand. Her back matter contains an extensive timeline that grounds and expands her focused text. Keith Mallett's (Sing a Song) detailed digital illustrations--including stunning endpapers--give a strong sense of the era; blues, browns and yellows lend an appropriately old-timey feel. Curve and Flow delivers an accomplished and uplifting biography of a Black man who "created more than 3,000 structures around the world" and is integral to the history of Los Angeles. --Lynn Becker, reviewer, blogger and children's book author.