Editorial Review

Zaha Hadid’s beaded collar and feathery shawl stand in glorious contrast to traditional architect’s accessories (hard hat, blueprints) on the cover of this selection from the Women Leading the Way series (6 titles). Iranian-born Hadid became known as the “Queen of the Curve” for her daring building designs. Her life, accomplishments, and legacy are presented in this level-2 reader, which captures Hadid’s intelligence, innovative style, and fierce determination, both in its photos of Hadid and some of her famous buildings and in well-chosen quotes. Pages typically feature two to six short sentences against bright, colorful backgrounds, as well as a photo or graphic. The smoothly written text includes bolded vocabulary, a quick-fact profile of Hadid, and a boxed time line that reinforces the book’s key points. A refreshing series for the biography shelves.