With wonderful detailed drawings and an interesting and informative text, this is a first rate history story for children and parents alike. The word "castle" itself conjures up mystery, romance, intrigue, and grandeur. What could be more perfect for an author/illustrator who has continually stripped away the mystique of architectural structures that have long fascinated modern man? With typical zest and wry sense of humor punctuating his drawings, David Macaulay traces the step-by-step planning and construction of both castle and town.

"What David Macaulay can draw -- churches, cities, pyramids -- he does better than any pen-and-ink illustrator in the world. Castle once again goes through a brick-by-brick assembly, employing cross-hatches and thin black lines to evoke a medieval place and period." Winner of the coveted Caldecott Medal it not only shows how but why Medieval castles were constructed.

About the Author: 

David Macaulay is the author and illustrator of many exciting and unusual books for readers of all ages, including the international bestseller The New Way Things Work; Caldecott Medal-winner Black and White, and Caldecott Honor Award-winners Castle and Cathedral; and Building Big, the companion book to the successful PBS Series. Other awards he has received include the Boston Globe-Horn Book Award, the Christopher Award, an American Institute of Architects Medal, the Washington Children's Book Guild Nonfiction Award, the Deutscher Jugendliteraturpreis, and a Dutch Silver Slate Pencil Award. In 2006 he was the recipient of a MacArthur Fellowship, given to "to encourage people of outstanding talent to pursue their own creative, intellectual, and professional inclinations." Superb design, magnificent illustrations, and clearly presented information distinguish all of his books. A graduate of and former teacher at the Rhode Island School of Design, Mr. Macaulay lives with his family in Vermont.