Don’t your kids just love seek-and-find books that aren’t actually seek and find, but give them plenty of opportunities to do just that? Those books that read naturally, but have hidden details in the illustrations, or are inviting for little eyes to spend hours searching? In the City by Dominika Lipniewska is just that, and you’re going to want to be sure to check it out!
In In the City, young readers are given the chance to spend a day in a busy, modern city. Starting when the city wakes up one morning, Lipniewska takes readers through everything one might encounter in a day in the city. We see the busy-ness of the morning commute and the buildings big and small, but Lipniewska also gives us a chance to rest in the city, while we search for critters in the park, visit the zoo, or eat a meal. My girls loved the page about play, which inspired a lengthy conversation about what their ideal play structure would encompass, and I loved the spreads that showed neighbors not only going about their own business, but also interacting with and helping each other. The next-to-last page depicts the people in the city who work at night, rather than sleep, which may have fostered some of our deepest conversations in the book, especially in this pandemic time of focusing on the helpers around the world!
And Lipniewska’s illustrations! The bold graphics jump out of the page, especially set against the while background. The largely primary color palette allows eyes to travel the page easily while looking for small details, such as faces hidden in the windows, creatures hidden in the park, and gestures of kindness. The characters are diversely illustrated, encompassing different body sizes and shapes, hairstyles, skin colors (though not always realistic), ages, interests, and physical abilities. Also worth noting– this is a high-quality, larger-sized book that just feels good to hold in your hands. The cover is nicely textured, the paper thick and rich… You can tell it will hold up well to the multiple readings bound to happen.
Though the target age range for In the City is 2-5, our 4.5-year-old and almost 7-year-old happily flipped through this multiple times after we read it together, taking in the details from the illustrations that they missed the first time.
Many thanks to Button Books (an imprint of The Guild of Master Craftsman Publications) for sending us In the City. All thoughts and opinions here are my own! Be sure to check out In the City by Dominika Lipniewska (ISBN #9781787080317) wherever you prefer to buy books, or use my Affiliate links below.
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