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list price: $17.95
edition:Hardcover
category: Children's Fiction
published: Sep 2010
ISBN:9781896580449
publisher:
Tradewind Books
Description
From street hockey to baguette duels, award-winning poet X.J. Kennedy captures what it means to be a kid in a city full of zany characters and urban adventures waiting to happen. Philippe Béha's whimsical illustrations add delight to these lighthearted rhymes. These poems are set in cities around the world from London to Toronto to New York. Funny and poignant, these stories should amuse and delight children and teachers alike.
Recommended Age, Grade, and Reading Levels
- Age:
- 6 to 8
- Grade:
- 1 to 3
- Reading age:
- 6 to 8
Awards
- Short-listed, Lion and the Unicorn Award nominee
- Commended, Children’s Poet Laureate Monthly Book Picks
- Commended, Resource Links "The Year's Best"
Editorial Reviews
"Kennedy is thought-provoking without being obscure. Although much of his work is light and whimsical, he shows a willingness to take on more serious subject matter...The book also benefits considerably from Montrealer Philippe Béha’s colourful, stylized illustrations, which interpret the work sensitively and creatively."
— Quill & Quire
"There is plenty of child-appeal and perspective, as well as end rhymes, internal rhymes, and alliteration to catch the fancy of young listeners. The layout sets each poem opposite boldly outlined images that channel the animated whimsy and unexpected colors of Chagall....Recommended."
— Library Media Connection
"An eclectic collection of poems about life for kids in a vibrant city…Jovial, whimsical rainbow illustrations and zany printed titles add to the bounce and verve of City Kids…Not just for kids, but for everyone who loves being alive."
— Midwest Book Review
"Beha's lively and vibrant illustrations of Kennedy's short poems have just the right amount of quirkiness to enhance the poet's sense of fun…A welcome addition to poetry collections in the elementary school library as well as a good choice for parents and grandparents who enjoy reading poems to small listeners…Highly recommended."
— CM Magazine
"Captures the scenes and experience of urban life, via a series of evocative poems and illustrations...It is well written and expressed and invites children to understand the urban environment through a wide variety of images...A great anthology for the urban classroom, as it celebrates the life and culture of city kids."
— Resource Links
"The urban world is examined from every angle in this lively collection of verse about city life…Béha's illustrations have a naïf, crayon-scrawled exuberance, and most match the upbeat tone of Kennedy's verse."
— Publishers Weekly
"A beautifully designed book of clever and mischievous verse for 8-12 year-olds from a virtuoso of children's (and adult) poetry. The much-laureled Kennedy is at his best in this roundup of new and older poems that celebrate the joys and pitfalls of growing up urban the world over."
— Poetry Foundation
