Nelly takes New York A little girl's adventures in the Big Apple

Nelly is a New York girl: she "wakes up to all the sounds of her home.... The subway rumbles. A musician rat-tat-tats his drum." But when Nelly hears a street vendor use the term "the Big Apple," she's thoroughly perplexed and sets out from her West Village neighborhood, her dog Bagel in tow, in search of the giant fruit. Her quest takes her to some major landmarks, including the American Museum of Natural History (Bagel almost wrecks a dinosaur skeleton) and the 9/11 Memorial, where, debut children's authors Pataki and Myers write, "people walk around, holding the hands of their loved ones." Finally, Nelly arrives at the top of the Empire State Building, and as the city glitters beneath her-Myers (Feel the Beat) contributes two impressive twilight panoramas-Nelly thinks about all the people who have helped her during the day and realizes, "The Big Apple is all of us-the Big Apple IS New York City!" New Yorkers will likely start shaking their heads in disbelief from the very first pages. (What young New Yorker has never heard the phrase "the Big Apple"? And what's this kid's secret to getting around town so fast, even by train?) But for those who live in environs beyond, it's a wide-ranging, if flatly narrated, fantasy tour-a kind of junior "On the Town." Ages 4-8. (May) © Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.

PreS-Gr 2-Nelly and her pudgy beagle, Bagel, live in the West Village in Manhattan. When Mr. Patel, who operates the local coffee cart tells her, "The Big Apple is tons of fun!" the little New Yorker takes him literally, and she and her pet spend the day searching for a giant red apple. She expects to find it at the farmer's market at Union Square, but, while she finds many varieties of apples there, none are big enough. Tourists and natives all have different ideas of where she should go, so Nelly and Bagel travel on foot and by subway to the 9/11 Memorial, American Museum of Natural History, and Central Park.The day is filled with fun and excitement, but Nelly is not satisfied. Finally, toward evening, a taxi driver takes her to the Empire State Building, which affords a breathtaking bird's-eye view of the city all alight. The driver explains, "The Big Apple isn't something you can hold or eat. The Big Apple is all of us-the Big Apple IS New York City!" The bright, crowded illustrations were created with photos and paintings in Photoshop offering readers a colorful view of the busy city inhabitants, streets, and buildings. Bagel provides comic relief on every spread-balancing a croissant on his snout at the market, chasing pigeons, licking a child's ice cream, and gnawing on a Triceratops horn at the museum. The endpapers are covered with sketches of landmark buildings, bridges, and statues. VERDICT A delicious introduction to one of the world's greatest cities that is perfect for storytime or one-on-one sharing.-Barbara Auerbach, Cairo Public Library, NY © Copyright 2019. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.