New York City History for Kids

October 15, 2012
The story of New York City from the Ice Age to the Freedom Tower makes for an adventure packed with memorable events and people. Here is Peter Stuyvesant, who ruled New Amsterdam with an iron hand until he was forced to surrender to the English. Here is a city of many religious sects, all able to flourish in a spirit of tolerance (or perhaps indifference). Occupied by the British in the Revolution, the site of the infamous Civil War draft riots, and constantly buffeted by economic highs and lows, the city is always reinventing itself. The richest and poorest people live in uneasy juxtaposition, displaying the best and worst of humanity. Disasters and triumphs abound, and the city survives it all. Organizing the subject chronologically in eight chapters, Panchyk manages to work several centuries of history into a manageable account that reads like an action thriller. Each section is given a clear and straightforward title, is written in equally clear and concise language, and contains several informative sidebars. Copious illustrations in the form of historical photographs, maps, diagrams and drawings are appropriate, though not in color. There are also 21 activities that purport to enhance understanding but are quite complicated and call for many, often expensive, materials. A compelling history of the city that never sleeps (just skip the activities). (timeline, bibliography, places to visit) (Nonfiction. 10-14)

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October 1, 2012

Gr 4-6-Taking an all-too-common approach, Panchyk largely confines his chronicle to the history of Manhattan-according the city's four other boroughs only brief mentions-and aside from scattered statistical references covers nearly all of the last three decades on a single spread. Still, from the retreat of the glaciers (colorfully if arbitrarily dubbed New York City's "first visitors") to 9/11, he hits the high and low spots while providing a clear and succinct picture of the course and causes of the city's growth along with a parade of prominent figures, historical and cultural highlights, architectural feats, riots, and disasters. As in other volumes in this series, the value-added sidebar projects in each chapter range from "probably salvageable" to awful: given a single example, readers are invited to draw a Gibson Girl, for instance; from a schematic overhead view to construct a model of Fort George from clay and toothpicks; and with the blithe instruction to "Come up with a title and write a song of your own" to "Be a Tin Pan Alley Songwriter." But the main narrative is well stocked with both passages from contemporary documents and photos or other period illustrations and adds substantial amounts of detail to Richard Platt's more visual New York City (Kingfisher, 2010).-John Peters, Children's Literature Consultant, New York City

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