The Way Downtown

September 18, 2017
In this upbeat outing about public transportation in the fictional city of Zoom, readers follow multiple characters (a first grader named Robbie, a family of street performers, and others) as they make their respective ways downtown. Lowery’s energetic panel sequences are well suited to the motion and activity of each journey (Agent Rybka, a spy, takes a “very confusing and indirect route, in case he’s being followed”). Transit maps, signage, and details about purchasing tickets and getting onboard subways, trains, and ferries help demystify the complexities of public transit while providing a solid sense of what makes a city like Zoom zoom. Ages 4–8. Illustrator’s agency: Lilla Rogers Studio.

August 1, 2017

Gr 1-3-An enjoyable explanation of how residents of the fictional city of Zoom travel using a variety of public transit options-buses, subway, light rail, and ferries. Large, colorful, and detailed illustrations and bits of humor accompany each story, making them both fun and informative to read. Readers learn about the travels of the Zanies, a family of street performers; Robbie, a first grader and a photographer; and Agent Rybka, who is much more than just a spy. There are five separate stories in all. The writing and illustrations are not only laced with comedy, but also provide a clear sense of how a public transit system works. Each story is illustrated with a start-to-finish numbered flowchart followed by a more detailed sequence of illustrations. The artwork makes use of spreads and comic book-style sequences with speech bubbles, thought bubbles, and lots of additional information inserted as labels, definitions, and extra facts. The images also show how the public transit system works for the city's varied population-people of different ages, races, religions, and styles of dress; those who have disabilities; and the visually impaired. The book includes a glossary of words with clear, child-friendly definitions. VERDICT An excellent source for social studies units dealing with urban transportation and as a mentor text for showing how words and illustrations can combine to produce educational hilarity.-Myra Zarnowski, City University of New York

Copyright 2017 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

August 1, 2017
Zoom is an imaginary, probably North American city with a diverse population and many public-transportation options.Among its inhabitants and visitors are: four didgeridoo-playing street-performing siblings called the Zanies; Robbie, a first-grade photographer visiting his aunt; Agent Rybka, a white spy; Boris, a guide dog who leads his blind friend, Guy; and scientist Dr. Brody. Agent Rybka, Dr. Brody, and Guy all appear to be white; the Zanies and Robbie have brown skin. The named characters take various forms of transportation to their destination: Great Park. Dr. Brody takes a ferry to work with bike rides bookending the short voyage. Bike lanes and the bike-sharing system are explained. Robbie and his aunt take the bus to the subway. Agent Rybka, eluding people, takes an unusual route involving railroad trains and subways. The Zanies use their unicycles and the subway. They explain tickets and transit passes. Boris and Guy ride the light rail (defined in the extensive glossary), which has a Braille schedule. Everyone arrives in the park, including two strange creatures discovered by Dr. Brody in China. Very busy pen-and-ink-and-digital illustrations in a naive style include maps, flow charts showing each character's itinerary, cartoon panels (with speech balloons), and large double-page spreads. Lots of labeling and funny details keep readers poring over the pictures and make this book best for small groups or individual use. The text sometimes attempts too much in its complicated interweaving of human stories and transportation systems, but there's much useful information to be absorbed. Kids interested in cities and transport as well as fans of Richard Scarry-like busyness will be busy with this book for many readings. (Informational picture book. 6-9)

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Starred review from September 15, 2017
Grades K-3 *Starred Review* This is a busy, busy oversize picture book about a busy, busy metropolis and some busy, busy people (an anthropologist, a young child, a spy, street performers, and a guide dog) taking various kinds of public transportation to get to their shared destination: Great Park, an urban recreation center. Readers follow along each trip, consulting bike paths, sidewalks, and airport, subway, train, bus, and ferry routes. The text provides a running commentary of where and why everyone is traveling, plus vocabulary words defined in context (e.g., terminal, transit pass, light rail). The wonderfully detailed illustrations incorporate arrows and balloon captions for additional vocabulary definitions, directional signposts, street signs and guides, and character commentsboth informational and snarky. Almost every component is labeled, one way or another (nosy children, suspicious character, audacious squirrel), and graphic novelstyle panels and speech bubbles keep things moving forward. Each page is packed full of amazing visuals, prompting (nay, requiring) multiple readings. An extensive glossary adds another layer, making city life accessible in more ways than one. Perhaps too busy for preschoolers, this should be a hit with the early elementary crowd, whether as curriculum support or just pure, active entertainment.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2017, American Library Association.)