ZELDA IN THE CITY

A trip to the big city becomes a collecting expedition for young Zelda—and for readers too, as multiple pockets hold a removable map, a postcard, 3-D glasses, a perfume sample, a paper glider, and other trinkets. Zelda records her excitement as, with her parents, she visits stores and a museum, stops for fast food and to watch a street magician, goes to a giant-screen movie house, sees the bright lights come up as the sun goes down, and conks out on the train ride home. Wilson-Max (Max Loves Sunflowers, 1999, etc.) renders crowded scenes in bold lines and whirls of bright color that dovetail neatly with the special effects. This oversized extravaganza, with its pop-ups and unattached pieces, won’t stay intact long in a library setting, but Zelda’s exuberance and the hurly-burly pictures make such urban visits as Chris Soentpiet’s Around Town (1994) or E.L. Konigsburg’s Amy Elizabeth Explores Bloomingdale’s (1992) seem positively sedate. (Picture book. 5-8)