Customer Reviews

City by Numbers

5 star:		(7)
4 star:		(0)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Stephen Johnson is by far the most creative artist/illustrator of educational children's books alive. He not only makes learning fun in Alphabet City and City by Numbers, but shows his remarkable talent as an artist. His illustrations, for lack of a better word, are flawless as can be seen clearly in the originals. He does not bring the book down to a child's level, but teaches them to appreciate art and learning at his level. He is completely remarkable and shows that it is rewarding to major in fine arts in college even if you wish to be an illustrator. No illustrator could produce the quality work that he has produced. Definitely buy this book. You will not be disappointed.

This book should be a delight to both children and adults. The artwork is sohpisticated, beautifully rendered and subtle. The numbers are hidden in the reality of each scene. He could have manipulated these images so that the numbers would be more obvious but he lets the viewer see them in their own time. Excellent book for teaching children about numbers, art and the poetry of combining the two.

City by Numbers is another volume in the spirit of Alphabet City. Conceived at the same time as a natural outgrowth of the alphabet book (which won a Caldecott Honor in 1996), this is an excellent companion to it. It's also an excellent choice both for prereaders, aspiring artists, or just those who enjoy a chance to see the world from a new perspective.

CITY BY NUMBERS is one of those rare educational childrens books that is as enjoyable for the adult as the child. This is because Stephen T. Johnson's illustrations are so very well done. The book teaches one to count to twenty by hiding each number in a well thought out illustration, simultaneously helping the child develop critical thinking skills. What makes CITY BY NUMBERS stand out is the exceptional quality of the illustrations, each of which is detailed, interesting, and fits easily into the city motif.

My grandkids have an architect for a dad in Seattle, WA so after I first met the author years ago while he was visiting upstate NY, I knew this book was a keeper and bought it for our own library. As adults we enjoy the photo/artist view of the city by looking beyond what is first visible to the ordinary eye. It is a great way to get the young viewer to see detail after learning numbers. We purchsed both books...City by Numbers and its' partner, Alphabet City. THey are great for anyone interested in photography too.

This book has received 5 stars on all of it's reviews on Amazon, and it is easy to see why! Stephen T. Johnson has done it again!
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"City by Numbers" reflects Mr. Johsnon's continued attraction to cities for their wealth of visual possibilities. Mr. Johnson's idea for this number book evolved naturally as he was looking for letters for his (Caldecott Honor!) book, "Alphabet City."
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Mr. Johnson includes a very interesting "Author's Note" inside this book. I think it is an extra blessing to get to know the author behind the book, so I am especially thankful that he includes these personal notes in his books. These notes have allowed us to get to know him better and therefore, we appreciate him and his work even more!
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This treasure of a book is dedicated to the memory of Stephen T. Johnson's grandfather, John Theodore Johnson....whom he knew only through his beautiful drawings and paintings, which in turn nurtured his passion for art.
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Add this one to your home library along with it's companion, "Alphabet City." You'll never out grow them!

I first got this book at a local library and had to purchase it because my kids liked it so much.

Build great abstract thinking abilities.