Little Kid, Big City!

April 15, 2021
A choose-your-itinerary-style ramble through the Big Smoke. Squired by a same-sex interracial couple trailing a highly excited child of color, the tour begins at Tower Bridge and from there leads at the reader's option either to the Tower's ravens and Beefeaters or on to Borough Market. Further teasers offered on every spread suggest (in no geographically coherent way) outings to the London Eye, the mammoth Hamleys toy store, the Tate Modern, and many other like high spots. Other options take readers further afield, to Hampton Court Palace or even (with no mention of the actual distance) Stonehenge. Along the way rides in a double-decker bus or black cab are worth taking, as are stops for afternoon tea, fish and chips, or fare in Chinatown or Brick Lane's Bangladeshi neighborhood. Naturally a few things don't make the cut (but the V&A? Madame Tussauds? Really?), and, more significantly, neither the bubbly narrative nor the equally effervescent art hint at any pandemic restrictions. Still, the sense that London abounds in distinctive marvels comes through loud and clear, and though carping critics might note that the Tube is not the "oldest railway in the world," or even in England, in general the descriptive and historical commentary is spot-on. (This book was reviewed digitally with 10-by-16-inch double-page spreads viewed at 75% of actual size.) Infectious (if, currently, aspirational) reading for young armchair tourists. (foldout map [not seen], annotated index) (Informational picture book. 6-10)

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June 1, 2021

Gr 1-4-This exuberant travel guide covers cultural and historical sites in London that would appeal to families. The book is formatted with places to visit on a double-page spread, so that after seeing one site, there are two different suggestions for the next destination, usually including at least one food choice. There are a wide variety of suggestions for places to visit and each is described with a short passage about things to notice or do. At the end of the book there is more information about each location and several of the entries have additional suggestions for things to do that are close by. For example, the book spotlights Westminster Abbey and then recommends the Churchill War Rooms and the Victoria Towers Gardens South. These entries also include websites for the places suggested, which could help with travel planning. The artwork in the book is energetic and full of interesting details about each site. Families of all kinds are featured throughout the book; the story revolves around a family with two moms of different races and two children, one is an infant and one is bigger. Families planning a trip to London will find this book very helpful and kids who are home will feel almost like they are there with this fun book. VERDICT A strong addition to an elementary library collection's travel section.-Debbie Tanner, S.D. Spady Montessori Elem., FL

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