Storied City: A Children's Book Walking-Tour Guide to New York City [Paperback]

Leonard M. Marcus (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: May 12, 2003

In this handy-size book, renowned critic and historian (and New Yorker) Leonard S. Marcus has created and narrated twenty walking tours of New York City based on children's literature. Illustrated with maps, photographs, and book art, the tours can be followed from start to finish or abbreviated to suit a reader's, or a family's, particular interests. Together they feature over one hundred places and spaces by which New York has lit the imaginations of writers and artists as varied as E. B. White, Maurice Sendak, Judy Blume, Faith Ringgold, Madeleine L'Engle, and many more. Along the way, Marcus deftly discusses more than two hundred of the best books about New York City ever written for young people.

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

Grade 4 Up-Including both fiction and nonfiction, some popular titles and some less well known, Marcus has created a fascinating array of walking tours of New York City. The scope of this project is huge, and while not every literary landmark has been included, the author hits highlights in many of the neighborhoods of the city. Touring through each section, Marcus introduces history, characters, authors, anecdotes, quotes, and often parts of the specific stories from children's books. There are also maps and many illustrations from the books featured. Aficionados of children's literature will enjoy this title, as will city children and their families, or visitors familiar with these famous scenes and stories. This guide can be used as a resource while touring specific locations, or as an interesting history, and can be an armchair tour if preferred. Historical background on authors, illustrators, and publishing helps tie the books into the history of the city, and a bibliography of children's books set in New York City is included. Don't come to town without this handy guide.
JoAnn Jonas, Chula Vista Public Library, San Diego, CA
Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information, Inc.

About the Author

Leonard S. Marcus is one of the most respected historians and critics in the field of children's books. His recently published Ways of Telling: Conversations on the Art of the Picture Book, was starred in School Library Journal as "highly readable, often humorous, and intensely rewarding." The Horn Book, in a starred review, said: "The interchanges are as valuable for his insights and creative connections as for his subjects' revelations. His judicious questions vary like the artists themselves."

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 12 and up
  
• Paperback: 160 pages
• Publisher: Dutton Juvenile; 1 edition (May 12, 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0525469249
• ISBN-13: 978-0525469247
• Product Dimensions: 8.5 x 4.2 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 4.8 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,022,072 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

13 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A charming idea, well-executed, June 9, 2004

By 

Rocco Dormarunno (Brooklyn, NY) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Storied City: A Children's Book Walking-Tour Guide to New York City (Paperback)

Leonard Marcus hit upon a great idea and developed it perfectly. As a teacher, it is difficult to teach history or literature to the young and make the readings come to life. "Storied City: A Children's Book Guide to New York City", besides being a charming idea, is also a handy tool for parents and teachers. With this extremely convenient guide, you can walk the kids through the neighborhoods they've read about and enliven their reading experience. And, most importantly, Marcus writes in a way that doesn't talk down to children, and that's a tremendous asset.

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars a perfect delight, September 29, 2003

By 

G. DeCandido "LadyHawk" (Bronx, NY USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Storied City: A Children's Book Walking-Tour Guide to New York City (Paperback)

With clarity and affection born of familiarity and delight, Marcus covers over 200 places and spaces in New York that have made an appearance in books for children and teenagers. He tells you how to get there and what you will see when you do. It is a lovely size, easy to carry and to hold, and it will take you on a virtual journey even if you and your children can't do a real one.

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars enjoyable tour guide for seeing NYC with kids, May 18, 2007

By 

audrey (white mtns) - See all my reviews
(TOP 500 REVIEWER)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Storied City: A Children's Book Walking-Tour Guide to New York City (Paperback)

We recently returned from a visit to Manhattan, having used this guide (along with several others); we found it enjoyable and useful. There are eleven tours: Lower Manhattan, Greenwich Village/East Village/SoHo, Flatiron District/Gramercy Park/Chelsea, Midtown Manhattan, Central Park/Upper East Side, Central Park/Upper West Side, Harlem/Northern Manhattan, Brooklyn, Bronx, Queens, Staten Island; each tour includes a map of the tour, an introduction, readable text concerning authors, book settings and the history of New York City, small pictures and line drawings, and lists of additional authors connected to each area. There is no information about amenities along the way (restaurants, bathrooms, playgrounds). We found a wealth of information and many literary references -- it would be smart to read this ahead of time so you can select and read some of the referenced books before your trip.