(2) K-3 Yazdani tells the story of how New York City's iconic Central Park came to be, beginning with visionaries Calvert Vaux and Frederick Law Olmsted, then moving from the park's multi-stage construction to its completion in 1876. Throughout, the book is full of glorious green landscapes with happy people enjoying them. The watercolor and pencil pictures are nicely balanced with Yazdani's lively text, full of fascinating informational tidbits. Bib.

Reviewer: Monica Edinger | Horn Book Magazine Issue: March, 2019

(3) K-3 Illustrated by Jamey Christoph. Manhattan child Bob builds a treehouse in Central Park. When the city dismantles it, he builds another, and so on until as a man he's confronted by a park employee...who offers him a job caring for the trees. Inspired by true events, the story is placidly told, and the art gives the city an alluring serenity. Includes an epilogue about real arborist Bob Redman.

Reviewer: Nell Beram

(2) YA A chance meeting in Central Park leads to intimate relationships among three nineteen-year-olds, each struggling: up-and-coming singer Freya has lost her voice; gay college student Harun is closeted to his Muslim family; and Nathaniel's hiding his true reason for visiting New York. Intermittent flashback chapters deepen these compelling backstories. Forman's latest novel offers a stirring reminder of the great risks of isolation and the immense solace of human connection.

Reviewer: Jessica Tackett MacDonald | Horn Book Magazine Issue: May, 2018

(4) 4-6 Simon and friends journey from their NYC Animalgam academy (for child shapeshifters) to Arizona to rescue Simon's mother from his evil grandfather. Simon is also determined to secure a powerful weapon and must learn to trust those closest to him. Despite convoluted alliances, this action-packed sequel to Simon Thorn and the Wolf's Den does expand on the series' promise of animal magic.

Reviewer: Megan Lynn Isaac

(4) 4-6 Twelve-year-old Simon, who can talk to animals, is lonely until he discovers he's actually an Animalgam, able to shift to animal form. Whisked to the Leading Animalgam Institute for the Remarkable (L.A.I.R.) in the Central Park Zoo, Simon meets new family members and encounters unexpected enemies as he hops from adventure to adventure. Action trumps character development in this apparent series-starter.

Reviewer: Megan Lynn Isaac

(3) K-3 Illustrated by Charles Santoso. Inspired by real polar bears, Ida and Gus, who lived in the Central Park Zoo, Levis writes a tender tale of friendship and loss. Soft, luminous digital artwork of the bears before and during Ida's illness--and, later, of Gus alone--blend seamlessly with the lyrical text. As Gus heals, the city's heartbeat reminds him that Ida "is right there. Always." An author's note is included.

Reviewer: Nancy Sheridan

(1) YA Seneca Village was founded in 1825 by free African Americans; by 1857 it had been razed for construction of Central Park. In forty-one poems, Nelson imagines the reflections of its inhabitants. Poems appear on right-hand pages and are prefaced by brief, scene-setting text on the left. Nelson's natural, musical lines (mostly in iambic pentameter) lend themselves to multiple readings.

Reviewer: Nina Lindsay | Horn Book Magazine Issue: November, 2015

(3) YA Rain's ebullient friend Wendy is found murdered in Central Park, and Rain suspects that someone at her prestigious prep school is the killer. In the midst of the ensuing media firestorm, normally introverted Rain overcomes her reticence to crack the case. This salacious mystery's breakneck pacing (including well-placed red herrings) and staccato, dialogue-heavy narration will keep readers turning pages.

Reviewer: Rachel L. Smith

(4) K-3 Illustrated by John Abbott Nez. When the bronze animals on the Delacorte Clock start to "dance," Milo, a snow monkey in nearby Central Park Zoo, longs to join them. After his cage is left open he gets his chance; he's then horrified to learn he's been locked out. Metzger's rhyming text, while cheery, stumbles in places. Nez's cartoony illustrations have verve. More information about the Delacorte Clock is appended.

Reviewer: Patricia Riley

(3) 4-6 Illustrated by Bruce McCall. The magical steps located in Central Park lead Rose to U Nork, a fantastical city that's like New York but faster, ruder, and bigger--or is it? Unbeknownst to Rose, her connection to U Nork's history grants her the power to save it. An entertaining mind-bender for puzzle-loving readers to solve alongside Rose.

Reviewer: Shoshana Flax

(3) 4-6 Black Pioneers series. Illustrated by E. B. Lewis. In 1855, thirteen-year-old Maria's family is in danger of losing its home to Central Park's development. Meanwhile, Maria, inspired by hearing Sojourner Truth speak, gets involved in the struggles of a fugitive slave family. Hansen's New York City setting, ably assisted by Lewis's atmospheric black-and-white spot illustrations, is vividly presented. An author's note tells more about the time and place.

Reviewer: Nancy Hull

(3) 4-6 Illustrated by Omar Rayyan. In Waggit's third tale, park clean-up and improvements force the white dog and his friends to leave their home. Relying on city-smart canine friends beyond the park gates, they travel at night through dark alleys while parked cars and soggy appliance boxes shield them from the eyes of Uprights (humans). Fans of the first two books will enjoy Waggit's continuing adventures.

Reviewer: Nancy Hull

(3) 4-6 Illustrated by Omar Rayyan. This sequel to Waggit's Tale follows the white dog's escape from a country farm. An Upright (human) with a gift for understanding Dog helps Waggit in his quest to find his old gang in Central Park; conflict between two groups leads to a sad moment. This otherwise fairly tame adventure will appeal to young Uprights who love pups.

Reviewer: Nancy Hull

(4) 4-6 This second volume of a planned trilogy furthers the adventures of modern-day siblings caught in a "spirit city" of Manhattan. There, characters interact with real-life figures from history. Striving to reverse the evil magic imprisoning Munsee Indians in Central Park, the children withstand many chases and confrontations with malefactors. It's an interesting premise, but the story is hard to follow.

Reviewer: Miriam Lang Budin

(4) YA Building America, Then and Now series. These books highlight the histories, construction, and impact of four mammoth American development projects that changed the communities around them. Photos, maps, and informative sidebars supplement the densely detailed writing. American history buffs will find these volumes useful for doing research. Reading list, timeline, websites. Bib., glos., ind. Review covers these Building America, Then and Now titles: The Hoover Dam, The Eisenhower Interstate System, The Empire State Building, and New York's Central Park.

Reviewer: Jack Forman

(4) 4-6 In Mebus's fantasy world, Mannahatta, such historical figures as Peter Stuyvesant and Frederick Douglass are elevated to gods interacting with a panoply of fictional characters. Amidst this setting, modern-day kids Rory and Bridget, among the few who can see the spirit city, must free the Munsee Indians from imprisonment in Central Park. The premise is compelling, but the execution is confusing.

Reviewer: Miriam Lang Budin

(4) K-3 Illustrated by G. Brian Karas. An indignant girl launches an inquiry, complete with investigative journalism conducted in Central Park, to answer the question: "Why don't more babies work?" Adults may find this cute, but children might be skeptical: what real kid finds babies' unproductivity confounding? Karas's illustrations, full of urban sophisticates, also manage to work in the main character's experiences as a city kid.

Reviewer: Nell Beram

(1) K-3 Illustrated by Meilo So. Narrating in an easygoing, lucid style, Schulman tells Pale Male's story in great detail, integrating it into the context of city life. Meilo So captures New York's rich variety with impressionistic virtuosity. Her point of view varies from curbside to hawk's-eye, her watercolor and colored-pencil palette keyed to the russets and creams of Pale Male's plumage, enlivened with splashes of intense color. Reading list, websites.

Reviewer: Joanna Rudge Long | Horn Book Magazine Issue: March, 2008

(2) K-3 "After Pale Male was sighted near a pond in Central Park...it was clear that he was there to stay." McCarthy details the delight of faithful birdwatchers, depicting them (rather comically) as pop-eyed as her hawks. The caricatures are lively, and McCarthy's rendering of the city is rough yet evocative. Information about Central Park and an author's note extend the story. Bib.

Reviewer: Joanna Rudge Long | Horn Book Magazine Issue: January, 2008

(4) K-3 Illustrated by Henry Cole. Two male penguins at the Central Park Zoo court, build a nest, and raise their (adopted) daughter Tango. Highly anthropomorphized to maximize the sentimental but noteworthy lesson on family diversity, the story gains depth from the biological reality of same-sex penguin partnering. Gentle illustrations of the smiling penguin family add appeal, if not scientific accuracy, to this book based on a true story.

Reviewer: Danielle J. Ford