Around Town

A sunny, panoramic view of Brooklyn brownstones, with a tiny Manhattan skyline in the distance, sets the expansive tone for this first book, a chipper tour of the Big Apple. ``Some people live in the country,'' declares the narrator, who assesses the respective merits of country, seashore and suburbs before enumerating the charms of the city. Accompanied by her mother on a summer outing, a girl delivers the kid's-eye view of urban attractions: ``Toy shops right on the sidewalks,'' she comments, passing a streetside vendor. Sparkling watercolors picture the chess corner in Washington Square Park, a sidewalk cafe in Little Italy and various locations in Central Park. Street performers--including a caricaturist, a busker and a juggler--help make the case that ``some people live in the city and think it's the best place of all.'' Ages 4-up. (Mar.)