A neighborhood walk, a musical journey

K-Gr 2--"Honk-honk, tweet-tweet, patter-patter!" This sweet, fun read-aloud drums up nostalgia for all the rhythms, noises, and dreams of the city. On their way to the farmers market, a mother and daughter duo appreciate street musicians: a saxophone next to their apartment building ("toot-a-toot swoosh,") a drummer in the subway ("boom-bam-boom-boom"), a flautist by the flower shop sounds like butterfly wings. But it's when they arrive at the market that Penelope, with her black ringlets piled atop her head and glowing brown face lifted to the sky, finds an instrument that sings a dream into her heart. Duchess's attractive cartoon-style drawings are full of pinks, purples, and periwinkles set next to spots of bold ochre and rust. The colorful scenes show a loving relationship between mother and daughter, and cast the city in the idealistic light of a child's perspective. Hill's text conveys the rhythm of the various music styles and may have readers tapping a toe. Readers will note the diversity of the city through a variety of skin tones and hair types. VERDICT Don't let the clunky title scare you off--this is a classic story with fresh illustrations recommended for every picture book collection.--Hillary Perelyubskiy, Los Angeles P.L.

Penelope and her mother live in the city, where there are sounds on every corner, but what will become of Penelope now that she's heard a new, almost magical sound? Penelope, a young girl with light-brown skin and hair in a single Afro puff, joins her mother on a walk to the farmers market. Along the way, they stop to enjoy a saxophonist on the street corner, a drummer in the subway, a guitarist in the park, and a cellist playing from inside a building. When they arrive at the farmers market, Penelope becomes fascinated by pleasant music riding the air that she can't identify. She follows the sounds until she finds a violinist; enraptured, she declares, "I'm going to make that music too." Penelope's curiosity about music and the world around her rings true. The illustrations offer a pleasant, cartoonlike feel and plenty of details to bring character to this bustling, diverse city. Hilariously, three rats are drawn on the subway tracks, giving young readers an "I spy" opportunity and adults a chuckle. This will be an excellent book for picture walks with very young children, who will be drawn to the bright colors and busy pages. The text, alas, falters a bit, incorporating clunky onomatopoeia that doesn't always provide a good imitation of the instruments they describe--does a bow drawn across a cello's strings really sound like "pluck-pluck-pluck"? A delightful ode to the curiosity of childhood. (Picture book. 4-7) Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.