The Ultimate Book of Cities

by Anne-Sophie Baumann, Didier Balicevic (Illustrator)

Overview

"Playful, detail-rich scenes give readers plenty to pore over." — Publishers Weekly

Learn all about the people, places, and vehicles that make the city go: The express bus drives passengers to work, swans swim in the lake at the park... Best of all, lots of flaps, popups, pull-tabs, and rotating wheels bring a vibrant city to life. Readers will learn what traffic signs mean, see all that goes on in big buildings, and visit a fire station. Any child who is interested in how cities work adore this extraordinary book.

• Supersized spreads feature marvelously detailed illustrations that just beg to be pored over again and again
• More than 55 interactive flaps, tabs, and more to keep kids engaged
• A captivating adventure that brings the city and the magic of books to life in young minds

"There's lots to see and do in this big city." — Kirkus Reviews

Fans of How Things Work will also enjoy the stunning details and interactive fun of The Ultimate Book of Cities.
• Great family read-aloud book
• Books for kids ages 5–8
• Books for preschool, kindergarten, and elementary school children

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9791027600793
Publisher:	Tourbillon
Publication date:	04/04/2017
Series:	Ultimate Book Series , #4
Pages:	16
Sales rank:	220,033
Product dimensions:	10.10(w) x 13.00(h) x 1.00(d)
Age Range:	5 - 8 Years

About the Author

Anne-Sophie Baumann studied science and literature before becoming an editor and finally, an author. A keen investigator herself, she satisfying curious young minds. Her topics range from construction vehicles to wildlife and often feature moveable parts to help children understand the world around them.

Didier Balicevic studied at the Ecole des Arts Décoratifs in Strasbourg. He lives near Paris, where he works in publishing.

Editorial Reviews

03/13/2017
Flaps, pop-ups, tabs, and other movable features help Baumann introduce the fundamentals of a busy modern city in this addition to the Ultimate Book series. Many of the flaps are used to cutaway effect, providing voyeuristic views inside office buildings (behold the conference room and lounge), subterranean wastewater treatment systems, a hospital, library, and more. Among the niftier interactive features: traffic that moves across the page as a spread is opened, window washers that slide up and down a building’s façade, and a wheel that creates an endless parade of children in costumes during a street fair. Also clever is a trip to a department store, where flaps lift to show how products like plastic toys and cotton clothing are produced. Through the text isn’t always all that gripping (“The police, firefighters, and paramedics are here to help everyone in the city”), Balicevic’s playful, detail-rich scenes give readers plenty to pore over. Ages 5–8. (Apr.)

Publishers Weekly

"There's lots to see and do in this big city."-Kirkus Reviews

"Playful, detail-rich scenes give readers plenty to pore over."—Publishers Weekly

From the Publisher

2017-05-31
A set of panoramic views of the urban environment: inside and out, above and belowground, at street level and high overhead.Thanks to many flaps, pull tabs, spinners, and sliders, viewers can take peeks into stores and apartments, see foliage change through the seasons in a park, operate elevators, make buildings rise and come down, visit museums and municipal offices, take in a film, join a children's parade, marvel as Christmas decorations go up—even look in on a wedding and a funeral. Balicevic populates each elevated cartoon view with dozens of tiny but individualized residents diverse in age, skin tone, hair color and style, dress, and occupation. He also adds such contemporary touches as an electrical charging station for cars, surveillance cameras, smartphones, and fiber optic cables. Moreover, many flaps conceal diagrammatic views of infrastructure elements like water treatment facilities and sources of electrical power or how products ranging from plate glass and paper to bread, cheese, and T-shirts are manufactured (realistically, none of the workers in the last are white). Baumann's commentary is largely dispensable, but she does worthily observe on the big final pop-up spread that cities are always changing—often, nowadays, becoming more environmentally friendly.There's lots to see and do in this big city. (Informational novelty. 6-9)

Kirkus Reviews