SEE THE CITY

Several years ago the artist made two 37-foot-long pen-and-ink drawings, one of the East Side and one of the West Side of Manhattan. They are full of charm and energy and life, and are instantly recognizable, even down to the Twin Towers, which “will be remembered forever.” Those drawings have been turned into a marvelous work for children, a dos-à-dos binding enabling readers to turn the volume over to unfold both sides. With his young readers in mind, Pericoli has put little labels on many of the buildings, streets, bridges, and features of Manhattan, and periodically also labels a wave so you know you are on the shoreline. His running text is as limpid and clear as water, describing for young people what he saw, what he drew, and how they too could draw what they see, so long as they look carefully enough. The Little Red Lighthouse (and the Cloisters and where the Bronx ends) are noted, as are the 2,215 windows he drew in buildings near the Brooklyn Bridge. Just wonderful. (Picture book. 5-10)