For the Older Sibling: A Walk in New York, Salvatore Rubbino

Dia Calhoun and I recently were in New York City as our totz sister site, readergirlz was honored by the National Book Foundation with the first Innovations in Reading Prize.

We were thrilled to attend the celebrations. This was my first trip to the city, and I wish I had Salvatore Rubbino's picture book with me: A Walk in New York. Seriously! Dia and I would have been right on target finding those lions in front of the New York Public Library. And we would have known there are 10,000 new books each week and 88 miles of shelves!




I chose this work for the older sibling of your totz because it is retro, beautiful, and so helpful! The mixed media capturing textures, flat shapes of color, and predominantly a pencil line represent the beauty and abundant life of New York City. Interspersed are facts about each sightseeing location.

"The library lions are called
Patience and Fortitude.
They're made of pink marble
from Tennessee."

The smaller font amidst the very hip MkLang Bold typeset does not detract from the main story of a father showing his son Manhattan for the first time.

With A Walk in New York, I would have known:

"The only way you can catch a New York cab is if you hail it."

Not by asking the concierge to call one. I would have known to go up to the ground level at Grand Central to see the clock and night sky ceiling. And I would have realized there are 67 tracks with 125,000 people traveling.

I would have known where to stand to see the Statue of Liberty. *sigh* Even the end pages which are simple maps would have been helpful. So here's to my next visit. In the meantime, I'll enjoy this beautiful Candlewick Press book from Salvatore. It's a gem that is worthy of award recognition.

A Walk in New York
by Salvatore Rubbino
Candlewick Press, 2009