New York State of Mind

by Billy Joel, Izak Zenou (Illustrator)

Overview

"I'm taking a Greyhound on the Hudson River Line - I'm in a New York state of mind." Billy Joel's evocative lyrics invite readers to tag along as two spirited little dogs experience the energy and excitement of New York City, one of the world's most visited cities. From the "movie stars in their fancy cars" at Radio City Music Hall to Chinatown, from the Empire State Building to a Central Park carriage ride, this colorful portrait of the city's most beloved landmarks is a joyous celebration of a great American city.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781596871915
Publisher:	ibooks, Incorporated
Publication date:	04/15/2024
Pages:	34
Sales rank:	729,997
Product dimensions:	8.50(w) x 8.50(h) x 0.25(d)
Age Range:	Up to 6 Years

About the Author

Billy Joel is the legendary Grammy and Tony Award-winning composer and lyricist whose popularity and musical influence span more than three decades. The song "New York State of Mind," on which the book is based, first appeared on his album Turnstiles. A celebrated native of Long Island, he is proud to make New York his home.

Paris-born illustrator Izak Zenou has made New York his home. His whimsical illustrations frequently appear in leading fashion magazines, as well as in promotional campaigns for clients that include Henri Bendel and Neiman Marcus. Izak's book projects include Essentially Lilly: A Guide to Colorful Entertaining and Bohemian Manifesto: A Filed Guide to Living on the Edge. This is his first children's book.

Date of Birth:

1882

Date of Death:

1962

Editorial Reviews

Newcomer Izak's full-bleed watercolor spreads charmingly dramatize songwriter Joel's ode to New York City, from the perspective of a wide-eyed, red kerchief-wearing small brown dog. The canine narrator rides a bus over the George Washington Bridge and along the Hudson River, before proceeding on foot past a tableau of familiar Manhattan sights. Discreet labels on the paintings' edges identify the Theater District (where Joel's Movin' Out appears on a marquis), Lincoln Center, Chinatown and more. For "Been high in the Rockies under the evergreens," the pooch appears under the Christmas tree at Rockefeller Center, and "But I know what I'm needing/ And I don't want to waste more time" depicts the narrator's initial encounter in front of the Plaza Hotel with a red ribbon-wearing Cocker Spaniel. A somber palette of brown and gray provides a welcome counterbalance to the cuteness of the dogs as, for instance, they walk in the rain under a copy of the Daily News by the steps of the Metropolitan Museum or "let it slide" on the ice of Wollman Rink. This book makes Joel's song (a compact disk recording is included) accessible to a new generation, while Izak's truly lovely portraits will serve both as an introduction to Manhattan, and as a visual tribute for those who already love New York. Ages 4-8. (Nov.) Copyright 2005 Reed Business Information.

Publishers Weekly

Using Billy Joel's reflective lyrics, a fashion illustrator offers witty, impressionistic scenes depicting a pair of stylish canine tourists posing against the ankles of similarly stylish human passersby in front of the Metropolitan Museum of Art, Radio City Music Hall, the (late, lamented) Plaza Hotel, Lincoln Center and other Manhattan attractions. Sideways spreads show the Empire State Building and the Rockefeller Christmas tree, and the dogs take a subway ride and slide on the Wollman Skating Rink. Gussied up with discreet labels for nonresidents, plus a CD, this does convey the song's idyllic tone-though tourists of the two-legged kind won't find its helter-skelter itinerary particularly logical. A gift item, likely to appeal most to nostalgic adults, but better than Joel's goopy Goodnight, My Angel (2004). (Picture book. 6-8)

Kirkus Reviews