In Lucia's Neighborhood

This book was passed along to us, and I didn't think too much of it initially. 7 months later, and we still read it at least once a day! It is the first book our toddler (now 21mo old) picks off of the shelf, and thankfully I don't tire of reading it. The success is due to a few things--the illustrations are detailed enough to find lots of things to look at on every page, but it isn't overwhelming for a young child. The realism, and focus on daily living also make it very interesting for a toddler who is making sense of the world. Other bonuses include the diversity, the mention of Jane Jacobs, multi-generational family, and more--all things that I love introducing to our child. We love this book so much, this is the first Amazon book review I have ever written! (To other Montessori parents, I can't recommend this enough--so many practical life things happening :) )

Book Description: "Inspired by urban visionary Jane Jacobs, seven-year-old Lucia takes the reader through a day in her neighborhood and celebrates the people and places that make it feel like home. A great starting point for discussions on cities, this book will encourage readers to stop and smell the urban roses." This children's book was a good start book for preschool, kindergarten or first grade classrooms about daily life in neighborhoods and communities. The storyline flowed nicely. During read aloud, the children had commented that it had a Sesame Street familiarity with regards to neighborhood, storefronts, apartment buildings, etc. In my opinion, based on the children's reactions, the digitally rendered artwork lacked the warmer feel of a Sesame Street or likeness familiarity. It gave the great story line more of a comic book feel rather than an illustrated book. In today's world of modern conveniences, this book proved that the students still prefer manual illustrations to those of machinery.

I can't say enough wonderful things about this book. The illustrations are GORGEOUS and make me want to live in the neighbourhood in the book (which I think is somewhere in Toronto but I'm not sure). It follows the story of a little girl, Lucia, as she listens to her grandmother tell her about urban visionary Jane Jacobs then explores her own neighbourhood with renewed appreciation. But my absolute favourite thing about the book? All the people in the streets, the parks, the doorways...none of them are texting! The teenagers are hanging out, the old men are feeding birds, there are people reading books and playing cards. But no one has a laptop or a cell phone. There was something quite lovely about that. I will definitely be looking for more books by author Pat Shewchuk and especially illustrator Marek Colek! Disclaimer: I received a digital galley of this book free from the publisher from NetGalley. I was not obliged to write a favourable review, or even any review at all. The opinions expressed are strictly my own.

My thoughts: Diversity, culture, all celebrated in this story as Lucia takes the reader on a tour of her neighborhood. In addition to children getting introduced to urban visionary Jane Jacobs, this book, with its bright, eye-popping illustrations, and simple descriptions of the neighborhood will help children rediscover where they live, no matter where it is. My kids' thoughts: Loved the colors; told from a kid's perspective; this is something I would write in my journal, so makes it easy for me to understand. Rating: B Reading Level: 3 to 7 years Reread Level: 2.5/5 Disclaimer:Thank you to NetGalley for sending me a digital review copy of the book. I was not compensated for my review. My thoughts on the book were in no way influenced by the author or publicist. They are my personal opinions formed when I read the book.