(story)time: I’d Like the Goo-Gen-Heim

Continuing on with our New York themed reads, here’s a book that I picked up on my last trip to New York a few years ago. I bought it in the bookstore of the Guggenheim, and F fell in love with it instantly. The girls have lots of books about art and architecture, but I think what’s so fun about this particular book is the way that young Andy works through pronouncing all of the tough words in this book – from the name of the museum to many of the artists with works hanging inside it.

The book was originally published in the early seventies, and the writer / illustrator, A. C. Hollingsworth, was a comic book artist in his earlier years, and later became a painter and art professor. (This is one of my favorite pieces.) The story centers around a young boy, Andy, and his father. They are spending the afternoon together on Andy’s birthday when his father falls asleep and Andy is left chasing his balloon out of the park and across the street to the Guggenheim. Intrigued by the design of the building, Andy ventures inside and takes the reader on a tour of the museum and many of its most iconic works, from the elevator ride to the top, and then down the winding ramps to the bottom again.

I love the illustrations in this book – the charcoal sketches and colored markers – there is so much movement and fluidity to the drawings as you travel with Andy through the space. The book, long out of print, was discovered by someone at a library sale. The Guggenheim approached his widow about publishing the book once again, and now it’s available for purchase from them.

The Guggenheim is top of F’s list for our New York trip coming up shortly. It will be fun to see how many of the artists she’s recognize from this lovely little book.

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This is a great book for younger readers ages 4-8, with just enough adventure and exploration to keep this art viewing tale exciting.

You can also order this title through your favorite local independent bookstore. Happy reading!