Notre-Dame: The World’s Cathedral by Lynn Curlee

First of all, best wishes to the author, who has hopefully overcome the bout of ill health that affected the completion of this fabulous book!

I’m a huge fan of non-fiction for children, as it’s often the most elegant and efficient way of communicating a factual subject. Authors in this field, and especially the more popular/bestselling writers, know how to talk to kids in language that is informative without being overwhelming. Heck, one of my favorite and most recommended methods of studying for Jeopardy! is by going through children’s non-fiction, which I’ve found to be uniquely capable of helping build long-lasting neural pathways by placing facts in context (my highly successful J! bestie otoh prefers Wikipedia, but he is Gen Z.)

The rest of us old timers and the actual target audience alike will find much to admire in Lynn Curlee’s latest luxe picture book, that touches on so much regarding the cultural treasure that is Paris’ Notre-Dame Cathedral. He briefly discusses the history of Paris and the Ile de la Cite, before detailing the centuries-spanning original design and construction. He takes us through the architectural terms and innovations of the Gothic building, as well as its original and manifold purposes: not only as a place of worship and congregation but also as a picture book of religious images. Given that the building was first proposed early in the 12th century, when literacy was still rare in the populace, this last factor felt like a necessity for both religious and political advocacy. As the Church fell out of and back into favor in France, so too did the fortunes of Notre-Dame.

Sandwiching the chronicle of the cathedral from its inception to the routine maintenance of the 20th century is a well-researched account of the near-catastrophe that brought the building back to worldwide attention in 2019, when a fire threatened to destroy most, if not the entirety, of the world heritage site. Thanks to the courage and intelligence of French firefighters, the blaze was brought under control with, miraculously, no loss of human life.

President Emmanuel Macron aimed to rebuild before the 2024 Paris Olympics, a feat few thought likely, not only because of the scale of clean-up and reconstruction but also due to the famously leisurely speed of French bureaucracy. Mr Curlee describes both present day and centuries old machinations with verve, making me feel entirely invested in the ultimate rebuilding of Notre-Dame. His ability to communicate his love for the structure is astonishing, as he reminds readers that the cathedral, while indeed an emblem of Paris and France, is also humanity’s treasure.

It’s not just his prose that does that: his beautiful artwork brings a delightful Art Deco eye to the Gothic lines of the original in a surprisingly evocative blend. While this definitely isn’t a picture book for beginning readers, it’s the perfect addition to the library of any advancing reader who loves history and the art of architecture.

Notre-Dame: The World’s Cathedral by Lynn Curlee was published May 5 2026 by Atheneum Books For Young Readers and is available from all good booksellers, including