No comments about Postcards from New York City / Postales desde New York City (Bilingual English/Spanish) (Traveling With Anna / Viajando Con Ana).

1 comments about Art New York: A Guide to Contemporary Art Spaces.

1. This book is a must for anyone who wants to know more about the "art" world, but doesn't know where to start. It has simple descriptions of all the main galleries in New York. So far I've only visited a few, but I'd have to say the author's descriptions were dead on. And it's pocket sized!

No comments about Quick Escapes New York City, 6th: Getaways from the Big Apple (Quick Escapes Series).

No comments about Troy: A Collar City History (NY) (Making of America Series).

4 comments about The Subway Pictures.

1. These astonishing digital photographs are witty without being condescending, intimate without being impertinent, and unsentimental without being cold. As Billy Collins writes in his introduction, "These images speak of a boldness associated with reports from the front...." Peter Peter is a Czech and his pictures belong to the photography of discovery brought to New York by such Europeans as Andreas Feininger, Andre Kertesz, Rudy Burckhardt and Robert Frank.



2. Nice pics about "true underground people".
   If you want to know the "feeling" of NY's subway, this is the book...



3. While visiting New York City, I, too, noticed the beauty of people I saw in the subway. What I didn't have was a courage to take pictures because I was afraid that people may not feel comfortable being taken pictures by a stranger like myself. This book is something I wish I could have done, something my dream came ture. Just take a look around while riding subway. You'll be amazed at how beautiful people are.



4. It's a great book. A must buy for anyone interested in candid photography. Every picture tells a story and the contrast at times is amazing.

No comments about Queens County, N.Y. Pocket Map.

No comments about Let's Go New York City 17th Edition (Let's Go New York City).

5 comments about Peppe the Lamplighter (Caldecott Honor Book).

1. "Peppe the Lamplighter" combines a story by Elisa Bartone with illustrations by Ted Lewin. The story takes place "[a] long time ago when there was no electricity and the street lamps in Little Italy had to be lit by hand." The hero of the book is Peppe, who lives with his widowed father and sisters in a tenement. Peppe's decision to get a job as a lamplighter leads to conflict between Peppe and his father.

   This is a good story that is greatly enhanced by Lewin's superb artwork. Most of the illustrations are two-page spreads that are packed full of energy and emotion. Lewin's realistic style is well-suited to capturing many colorful details: the sausages hanging in the butcher shop, a crowded street scene, the old-fashioned iron stove in Peppe's home, etc. Overall, a memorable celebration of Italian-American history.




2. I purchased this book for my husband for Father's Day (he's Italian American")--I didn't really think that our then 2.5 year old would really care for the book. But he loves it! It's a good story, although at times the messages can be a bit confusing for a very young child--but my son seems to enjoys the illustrations, the sounds of the Italian names, and of course the most elemental aspects of the story.



3. There's a whole genre of picture books that examine the working class members of American society throughout history. These stories are usually based on the lives of the relatives and ancestors of the authors. "Peppe the Lamplighter" is no exception. Loosely based on the grandfather of author Elisa Bartone, the book examines one boy's occupation and his struggle be accepted in the eyes of his father.
   
   Peppe lives with his sick father and seven sisters (not including the one in Naples) in the section of New York known as Little Italy. Taking place in what looks to be the 1910s, Peppe moves from store to store, attempting to find work. His father, is too sick to work himself, and all the children in the family must strive to find some kind of money. One day, old Domenico the lamplighter asks Peppe if he would light the lamps for him while he returns to Italy to fetch his wife. Peppe agrees readily and is delighted with the prospect. Delight slowly sours to shame, however, when his father is horrified by the job. Says he, "Did I come to America for my son to light the streetlamps?". As time goes by, Peppe's disenchantment with the job grows until he doesn't light the lamps at all. Only through the discovery of how important his job is to others can Peppe find the strength to return to lighting the lamps of New York City.
   
   The pictures in this book are wonderfully rendered. Here we find the New York City tenements in all their filthy glory. At the same time, we see the strength of the people living in them. The first painting in the book shows Peppe and his family staring at the viewer as if they were posing for a formal family photograph. The light from a single latern lights them all, and illustrator Ted Lewin shows off his talents. In many ways, the book is similar to Chris K. Soentpiet's style (of "Molly Bannaky" fame). Reading this book is to actually find yourself in early New York itself. Crowds come alive and individuals display a wide range of emotions. The best picture in the whole book, to my mind, is the image of Peppe lifting his little sister so that she can light the lamp on the street herself. The light is above them, illuminating their faces with incredibly intensity. The two stare up at it, entranced.
   
   The story itself if good, if not overwhelming. Peppe's father has a somewhat unbelievable change of heart towards the end of the tale. For a man who has harbored so much bitterness towards his son's chosen profession, he seems to come around to it mighty fast when the mood calls for it. Otherwise, it's lovely. Peppe compares the lighting of the lamps to the lighting of candles at Mass, and even goes so far as to say a small prayer for each. Small details like this truly bring the story to life.
   
   The book celebrates one small boy who can, in his sister Assunta's words, "scare the dark away". It is a book about how every human being, if they've a mind to, can bring light into the world in their own humble fashion. Peppe may only be a lamplighter, but even his father recognizes by the end that this honest job gives safety and comfort to others. We should all be so lucky as to have jobs that do half as much.



4. A young boy of modest means seeks a job to contribute to the needs of his family. Initially, his father is disappointed in the lowly responsibility that his son fulfills. The young man takes inspiration from his sister's admiration of him and finds that his job as a humble lamplighter blesses others beyond his understanding. The breath-taking illustrations span the entire two-page spread. This is a beautiful story of how everyone has their important role in life and can embrace it with excellence and passion.



5. My son is 5 and absolutely loves this book. It's a story about young boy and how he must help to care for his large Italian family that has come to America in hopes of having their dreams fulfilled. Disappointment of a father leads his young son to think his job is meager. But in the end one little boy does make a difference, for without his light the whole world is a dark place. The book just gives you a warm wonderful feeling when you finish reading it. The illustrations are beautifully drawn and give you the contact to really feel what Peppe and his family are feeling.

No comments about A New York City Subway Diary.

No comments about Hagstrom Staten Island, NY Pocket Map (Hagstrom Pocket Maps).