The Way Downtown: Adventures in Public Transit

In this upbeat outing about public transportation in the fictional city of Zoom, readers follow multiple characters (a first grader named Robbie, a family of street performers, and others) as they make their respective ways downtown. Lowery’s energetic panel sequences are well suited to the motion and activity of each journey (Agent Rybka, a spy, takes a “very confusing and indirect route, in case he’s being followed”). Transit maps, signage, and details about purchasing tickets and getting onboard subways, trains, and ferries help demystify the complexities of public transit while providing a solid sense of what makes a city like Zoom zoom. Ages 4–8. Illustrator’s agency: Lilla Rogers Studio. (Oct.)