It's All About Perspective

Wow! City! by Robert Neubecker

I am reaching back in time to pay tribute to this life changing picture book. Robert Neubecker connected me to the level artistry evolving in picture books. It was a book I had stumbled upon at the public library in 2004. At the time one year old LOVED books. I couldn't read enough to him, and his favorites he wanted over and over. He was full of questions so the more going on in the pictures the better. This was a favorite for a long time because of the sheer amount of information he had to study. It was very special to me, too. When I first thought of picture books I thought of the Little Golden Book Series I would hunt up at every grocery store as a five year old. While classic children stories, they were a bit stiff and lacked excitement. So, to open this book and see the entire concept told from a child's perspective was exciting. Wow! Book!

I couldn't recall a book from my childhood which was so interactive and vibrant, all the while conveying an ordinary extraordinary experience to most children, your first visit to the big city. The layout size and the number of things to each page give the story movement. There is a "Where's Waldo" effect with finding Izzy and encountering the random scenes unfolding in front of her. Each page you don't know where to look, just like when you are stepping in to the glitz and bustle of the city after a long stretch away.

My son was obsessed with cars and trucks, so we spent a lot of time on any page with a vehicle. I have two favorite scenes. The scene with Izzy seeing the tall buildings and Izzy's father trying to read the Uptown Subway map.

If you have small children it will keep all of you entertained. If you don't but want to see some really colorful and clever art, I guarantee you will be too.