The House of Wisdom - Hardcover

Mother-and-daughter team Florence Parry Heide and Judith Heide Gilliland weave a beautiful, timeless, and true-life tale, recounting how the House of Wisdom in Baghdad (the then capital of the Islamic Empire) gathered and preserved manuscripts from all around the known world--at a time when Europe languished in the Dark Ages. Ishaq grows up in this vast library with his father, knowing how prized these ancient books are (the caliph gives his father a manuscript's weight in gold for translating it!) but not fully grasping the importance of the legacy they represent. Only after he leads an expedition himself in search of books, "to Cordova and Samarkand, to India and China," does he understand.

Heide and Gilliland's text dovetails with the rich, luminous illustrations by Harry Potter illustrator Mary GrandPré, which exceed even DK Publishing's demanding visual standards. (Ages 4 to 8) --Paul Hughes

Mary GrandPré has always been interested in faraway places and ancient times. For Mary, the experience of traveling to Nepal, Bangkok, and Hong Kong, on a trip several years ago opened up a whole new appreciation of the color, pattern, design, and the richness of architecture from these cultures. This inspired her to take on the challenge of illustrating The House of Wisdom. Trying to be both historically authentic and creative was a challenge for her, as she re-created the Arabic mosaic patterns and the elaborate mosques in her own unique style. From this project she came away with a new appreciation of the perfect geometry and painstakingly beautiful design. The human, emotional element kept her grounded during the process of creating the illustrations for The House of Wisdom. In her own words she explained that "I think we all hope to be like Ishaq in some way-leaving a piece of ourselves for others to learn from." Mary GrandPré's award-winning picture books include Chin Yu Min and the Ginger Cats and Pockets by Jennifer Armstrong, Batwings and the Curtain of Night by Marguerite Davol, and most recently the Harry Potter series by J.K. Rowling. Booklist praised her illustrations for Batwings and the Curtain of Night, saying, "the pictures swirl with movement so the story and illustrations almost dance off the page." Her illustrations have frequently appeared in expositions such as the Society of Illustrators show. She lives in St. Paul, Minnesota.