The House of Wisdom

Ishaq, the son of the chief translator to the Caliph of ancient Baghdad, travels the world in search of precious books and manuscripts and brings them back to the great library known as the House of Wisdom. 15,000 first printing.

Florence Parry Heide and Judith Heide Gilliland collaborated on two previous books about the Middle east, Sami and the Time of the Troubles and The Day of Ahmed's Secret, which were praised as "unforgettable" and a "tour de force." Florence Parry Heide lives in Kenosha, Wisconsin. Judith Hede Gilliland lives in Amherst, New Hampshire.

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.