(Roland Harvey, A&U, $24.95 hb, ISBN 9781741144130, November) ****

This picture book features three children, Frankie, Henry and Penny, who are visiting the city and whose observations contribute to the subtitle of this book: ‘Our Scrapbook of Souvenirs.’ But, like its companions, At the Beach and In the Bush, this is no ordinary picture book, rather, it is a snapshot of daily life in a busy city brought to life by Roland Harvey’s wonderful illustrations and clever, entertaining text. Determined to visit everything the city has to offer—from the bizarre (a sewer tour in the rain), to the more conventional (a city zoo)—each child brings their own interpretation to the day’s events, while Harvey’s brilliantly detailed drawings of their excursions (each one a double-page spread), provide their own entertainment. Older children will appreciate the wit of the text (for example: ‘...and a Peregrine falcon ... and a Peregrine falcon’s eggs! ... and a Peregrine shorts’), while younger readers will enjoy searching for the pictures the text describes. Harvey has apparently recently moved from the beach and bush to live close to a city, which may have heightened his awareness of just how much goes on in a busy city—much of it often unnoticed—and how, even in the midst of such bustling activity, little pockets of magic can still be found. Be sure to look at the endpapers, as well as the rather lovely dedication.

Hilary Adams works in a specialist children’s bookshop in Sydney

This review from Australian Bookseller & Publisher magazine is reproduced by kind permission of Thorpe-Bowker, a division of R R Bowker LLC. © Copyright 2007, Thorpe-Bowker