Wander New York: Fitz in the City

by Reese Traves, Jon Traves (Illustrator)

Overview

Experience the delight found at each and every turn and the fun it is to wander, wonder and learn!

Fitz the Fox can't wait to see all that New York City has to offer - but will he get to see the penguin feeding or will a subway snafu derail his plans? A whimsical, sight-seeing jaunt that encourages wonder with rhyming text, peppered with facts and trivia along the way!

Join Fitz as he visits the Statue of Liberty with her 8 foot long index finger, the bustling crowds of Grand Central Terminal, the wondrous, book-filled spaces of the New York Public Library, and marvels at the sky-scraping height of the Empire State Building.

Continue to wander with a walk from Manhattan to Brooklyn across the Brooklyn Bridge and visit the Bronx Zoo along with more iconic landmarks while exploring this exciting city!

Follow Fitz at www.wanderwithfitz.com for more fun and adventures!

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781734602104
Publisher:	Good Avenue Books
Publication date:	08/10/2020
Series:	A Wander Often Wonder Always Book , #1
Pages:	36
Product dimensions:	8.50(w) x 11.00(h) x 0.25(d)
Age Range:	3 - 10 Years

About the Author

Reese Traves writes books for kids. She loves thinking up stories and fun characters and then writing things for those characters to say in the stories. WANDER NEW YORK: FITZ IN THE CITY is her debut picture book. She is also the co-founder of Hello Small World, a greeting card & illustration studio creating cheer-inducing greeting cards, art prints, calendars & more since 2011. Reese loves bright colors, coffee (she's done growing so it's okay - she also does not know if this is a fact or myth), coding, and of course wandering in new places. She lives in Texas with Fitz and Fitz's illustrator, Jon, who happens to be her husband. Visit her website at www.reesetraves.com and follow Reese on Twitter @reesetraves.

Jon Traves is an illustrator who draws an imaginary world of jaunty animals in a studio amongst the trees. He runs Hello Small World, a greeting card & illustration studio, with his frequent collaborator and wife. WANDER NEW YORK: FITZ IN THE CITY is his first picture book. Jon's a big fan of sketching on sticky notes, collecting vinyl records, playing old school board games, and taking way too many photos. He lives in Texas with his wife, Reese (author of Fitz). Visit Jon's website at www.jontraves.com and follow him on Twitter @jon_traves.

Editorial Reviews

08/31/2020

It’s a busy day in the Big Apple for Fitz the fox and his mother in Traves and Traves’s whimsically illustrated, engaging, and information-packed debut book. A yellow cab whisks Fitz and his mother into Manhattan, where they take a ferry to their first destination, the towering Lady Liberty. From there, the foxes travel by foot and subway to other iconic New York City tourist attractions that include the Brooklyn Bridge (depicted as blissfully car-free), dinosaur fossils at the American Museum of Natural History, and a bustling Grand Central Station. Fitz even learns how to use his map and find a route to the Bronx Zoo after he and his mother miss the Central Park Zoo subway stop.

This charming picture book allows readers to experience New York City vicariously as they join Fitz on a trip that is both fun and educational. Reese Traves’s friendly narrative and Jon Traves’s detailed, colorful illustrations capture Fitz’s sense of adventure as well as the quintessential character and energy of New York City. The young fox’s realistic experience in the city encompasses a range of emotions, such as the delight of climbing a “ginormous” rock and curiosity about Grand Central Station’s leaf and acorn motifs.

The visual emphasis of certain words in the sometimes stilted rhyming text adds a dynamic element: “It said CLOSED?! The train did not STOP?!/ This is not opportune./ We are LATE and the Central Park/ penguin feeding is soon!” The use of various modes of transportation will intrigue children who live outside cities and feel warmly familiar to urbanites, and trivia notes in tiny type will appeal to factoid fans. The friendly anthropomorphic characters will captivate children’s attention and spark conversation. This is a perfect story for children looking forward to, or anxious about, a proposed trip to New York.

Takeaway: This enticing child’s-eye-view of New York City is perfect for young tourists getting ready to explore the city.

Great for fans of Richard Scarry’s What Do People Do All Day?, Salvatore Rubbino’s A Walk in New York.

Production grades Cover: A Design and typography: A- Illustrations: A Editing: B Marketing copy: A

BookLife Reviews

2020-07-15
A young fox tours New York City in this rhyming picture book.

Fitz is thrilled to visit New York for the first time. The fox and his mom take a taxi and visit landmarks, including the Statue of Liberty and the Brooklyn Bridge. On their way to the Central Park Zoo, Fitz worries because they missed their subway stop. Luckily, they make it to the Bronx Zoo in time to feed the penguins. Next, they tour famous places like Times Square. Fitz often describes what he sees (“We’re...walking on a lawn—in a giant park with a lake that has boats to ride on”). The sightseeing continues as they wander through museums and visit Grand Central Terminal. Though exhausted from his jam-packed excursion, Fitz can’t wait for his next adventure. This series opener offers a welcoming look at New York. Reese Traves displays clear knowledge of the locales depicted; each page featuring a specific attraction provides “sidebars” with relevant facts. For example, on a page showing the Empire State Building, the supplemental text explains: “This building has 79 elevators…it is one of the most photographed buildings in the world.” This wealth of information makes the book best suited as a kid-friendly travel guide as opposed to a traditional read-aloud. The charming, creative illustrations by Jon Traves, the author’s husband, amplify the text. Readers will appreciate the unique interpretations of city life with fun extras like meticulously detailed maps.

An entertaining, educational introduction to New York for readers of all ages.

Kirkus Reviews

Praise for Wander New York: Fitz in the City:

"This series opener offers a welcoming look at New York... charming, creative illustrations...an entertaining, educational introduction to New York for readers of all ages." -Kirkus Reviews

From the Publisher