From School Library Journal
Gr 2–5—They've been around for a while, but the concertina, or foldout, book has recently seen a mini-revival: witness Chris Oxlade's Planes, Trains, and Automobiles (Design Line, 2014), illustrated by Mike Lemanski, and James Gulliver Hancock's Park (Lonely Planet, 2014), among others. Cochran's title joins this group with a six-and-a-half-foot-long illustration of New York City. Starting with Brooklyn's Coney Island and ending with the Bronx Zoo, the vibrant panel is packed with detailed images of neighborhood scenes and city sights from morning to night: Eddie's Sweet Shop, the Museum of Natural History, the Chrysler Building, Madison Square Garden, the Brooklyn Bridge, and more, in a delightful jumble (buildings 20 blocks apart sit next to each other). New York's newest skyscraper, One World Trade Center (the Freedom Tower) can be seen on the skyline. The reverse of the panel offers interior views: the spiral ramp of the Guggenheim's main gallery, a basketball game in play at Madison Square Garden, dinners inside Katz's Deli, etc.). There is no text per se, just a challenge to find 80 New York icons "from the Brooklyn Bridge to a baseball cap" (illustrations provided). As children adventure on this search-and-find mission, they'll appreciate the many touches of humor: monkeys cavorting on the Guggenheim Museum, King Kong scaling the Empire State Building, window washers working on high, messengers bicycling about, and buskers performing, as well as a mysterious abundance of pizza slices and bananas to spot throughout the city. More fragile than most, but well worth adding to collections.—Daryl Grabarek, School Library Journal
Review
Josh Cochran is my favorite kind of artist: one who that manages to evoke humor and beauty at the same time. I love his book Inside and Out: New York for all the reasons I love the city itself. It has wit and whimsy, and it is deliciously crammed with detail and color.
—Rashida Jones
A fun-filled marriage of form and function for young urban explorers.
—Publishers Weekly
It’s a book! It’s a poster! It’s a toy! Hours of enjoyment!
—Kirkus Reviews
This exquisite book captures the wonder and energy and chaos that is New York City. ... I want to live in Josh Cochran’s New York City.
—Peter Brown, Mr. Tiger Goes Wild
I could spend hours looking at Josh's drawings! True to New York, there is something happening on every inch. This book is a mesmerizing behind-the-scenes tour through the best secret parts of the city.
—Julia Rothman, author of Hello, NY: An Illustrated Love Letter to the Five Borroughs
Starting with Brooklyn’s Coney Island and ending with the Bronx Zoo, the vibrant panel is packed with detailed images of neighborhood scenes and city sights from morning to night... As children adventure on this search-and-find mission, they’ll appreciate the many touches of humor... Well worth adding to collections.
—School Library Journal
About the Author
Josh Cochrangrew up in Taiwan and the United States, and studied at the Art Center College of Design. His clients include MTV, the New York Times Magazine, Pepsi, Sony Music, and Time Magazine. He lives and works in Brooklyn with his small dog, Porkchop.
