A City Is [Hardcover]

Norman Rosten (Author), Melanie Hope Greenberg (Illustrator)

Book Description

Age Level: 4 and up | Grade Level: P and up

A city is
streets crossing,
fire trucks,
bridges,
sirens,
great towers of stone,
and
one red geranium
on a windowsill.

A tribute to New York City for the very young by a distinguished poet

In this evocative collection of poems about the uniqueness and diversity of the city of New York, savor the beauty of Manhattan from spring through winter. Visit the pocket parks, the sky-high buildings, the bustling streets and celebrate the Fourth of July on the banks of the rivers that surround the city. This tribute by a talented poet and playwright is brought to life in detailed, vibrant illustrations.

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

PreSchool-Grade 3-Written in free verse, the selections in this collection of short poems about New York City vary in tone and content. Some are evocative pieces that gently call up images of modern urban life: "A city is/streets crossing,/fire trucks,/bridges,/sirens,/great towers of stone,/and/one red geranium/on a windowsill." Others are specific to New York, describing the Staten Island Ferry ("Hurry, take the ferry!/By day it's cool,/by night it's starry,/and the whistle's always friendly"); local landmarks ("the moon is drifting/like a toy balloon/over the Brooklyn Bridge"); or a "pocket park." Done in colorful gouache, Greenberg's double-page paintings mimic a youngster's two-dimensional style. Observant readers will find the same mother and child in many of the illustrations, quietly connecting one poem to another. These pleasant offerings are suitable for cozy one-on-one sharing. However, the book would also fit nicely in a storytime about urban life, combined, perhaps, with such works as Carole Boston Weatherford's Sidewalk Chalk (2001) or Nikki Grimes's C Is for City (2003, both Boyds Mills).-Roxanne Burg, Orange County Public Library, CA
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

From Booklist

PreS-Gr. 2. "While buildings sleep / the moon is drifting / like a toy balloon / over Brooklyn Bridge." True to American poetic tradition, these very simple poems by the late Rosten, the first poet laureate of Brooklyn, celebrate both the big picture and the close-up, tiny detail. The streets are crowded with traffic beneath the great towers of stone--and there's a red geranium on a windowsill. Greenberg's clear, collage-style gouache illustrations on watercolor paper show the city through the day and night and through the seasons, especially as they occur in New York. The park is busy with people playing ball and chess, and working out in Tai Chi groups, while a kite sails in the sky. The diversity of the neighborhood is part of the story, and children will enjoy the view of people they know in a busy, magical place in both sunshine and snow. Hazel Rochman
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 4 and up
  
• Hardcover: 32 pages
• Publisher: Henry Holt and Co. (BYR); 1 edition (April 1, 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0805067930
• ISBN-13: 978-0805067934
• Product Dimensions: 10.7 x 7.3 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 10.2 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,838,505 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4.0 out of 5 stars Great Story for Kids in the City, November 13, 2005

By 

Lisa Horton (New York, NY) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: A City Is (Hardcover)

A City Is, is a great story for young children in New York City. While the poems are fun and quick reads, the lack of a plot might make it difficult for some children to follow along. Nevertheless, any child from Manhattan will have seen many of the illustrations. It will be easy for any of these urban children to relate to the story, and they will probably want to share many of their own memories. The changing seasons, diversity, poetry, and city scapes make this book appropriate for a variety of classroom lessons, while the mother and son spread through out the book make it a great bedtime story for families.