A WALK IN NEW YORK

This is not, of course, about New York City as a whole, but about Manhattan, as nearly all such volumes aimed at young people are. A boy and his dad come into Grand Central on the commuter train. In the boy’s voice, readers hear of their travels to the Empire State Building (on a rather spiffy foldout), the New York Public Library, Macy’s, Union Square and Greenwich Village. Various factlets are scattered throughout, separate from the boy’s narrative, and while none seem to be incorrect, no sources are given anywhere. The Lenape name for the Hudson River, Muhheakantuck, is described merely as an “American Indian name,” and the Wickquasgeck Trail (Broadway) is similarly described, which undercuts the specificity of a spread in which passersby exchange greetings in seven of New York’s 170 languages. The 1950s-look mixed-media art is done in earth tones with hints of sunniness. It’s very pretty, but doesn’t replace other such standbys as Kathy Jakobsen’s My New York (1993, 2003). (Picture book. 4-7)