BIG CITY SONG

Reed illustrates the jumble of sounds on a typical urban day. The sweep of a street cleaner swishes down the street as pigeons flap, newspapers thump off a truck and a fountain s-s-s-s-s-s-spurts on. Multicolored figures crowd the pages in all directions, and as the day proceeds, readers see a fire truck, construction site, news helicopter (“dwop-dwop-dwop”) and so forth. After dinner, the moon shines “like a spotlight” on people dancing, reading and singing lullabies. The dancing of the text, as well, adds considerably to the work’s appeal, as do bright illustrations in acrylic paint on canvas (and the use of different bold background colors on nearly every page). The strongest element is the broad range of sounds, which can be a fun interactive component between reader and young listener. Bound to bring joy and laughter to the very young. (Picture book. 3-6)