My City
Joanne Liu
Prestel Children’s Books

A small boy, Max, is given the job of posting a letter and sets off to the post box.
His route through the city takes him past a launderette where he stops to watch the swirling whirling clothes in the machines;

then he stops at a crossing to look in a puddle (in stark contrast to the other people many of whom have their eyes on their phones)

and has an encounter with a rubbish collector and his truck. He chases after a leaf as it’s whooshed by the wind, catches it and eventually presents it to a man on a bench.

Each of these small happenings is followed by a shift in perspective that puts the reader as it were, behind the boy’s head as he meanders, ever watchful through the bustling city and through the day, all the while open-armed as though embracing each and every new experience until finally, he arrives back home to his watchful mother, and the mail box right by their house.

Almost wordless, Joanne Liu allows her vibrant, textured paintings to tell the story while allowing readers to create their own too, perhaps about the spotty dog that appears in several scenes.

A visual delight to explore and re-explore making new discoveries on each reading.

In The City
Dominika Lipniewska
Button Books

Dominika Lipniewska takes readers on an exploratory journey from the stirrings of early morning through twenty-four hours back to another sunrise.

Her graphical style urban landscapes have the playful appearance of a construction block city, comprising Lego-type figures, buildings and vehicles.

The streets and railway are full of hustle and bustle as commuters hurry on their way to work or perhaps take a more leisurely walk with a dog.

Noise is at times overwhelming, but not everywhere is so frenetic; there are green leafy spaces where wild life abounds, and quieter spots to pause and partake of some rest and repast.

Different as people may be, they share much in common including a love of ice-cream and engaging in fun activities as well as shopping – be that in a shopping centre

or smaller shops on the street, as well as the market, a great location for buying fresh produce.

Like most cities this one has other places of interest: a large variety of eating places, museums and art galleries, a zoo and more; and it’s both ever-changing and never still for some people work through the night to provide essential services.

Every spread offers enormous potential for observing and talking; in fact the whole book is visually appealing and immersive.