In Focus: Cities

Walden reprises the format of 2016’s In Focus as she explores 10 cities—Cairo, Istanbul, London, Moscow, New York, Paris, Rio de Janeiro, Rome, Sydney, and Tokyo. Each city gets a spread of its own, which reveals architectural highlights, cuisine, popular activities, and attractions; lifting full-page flaps lets readers learn about the location in greater detail. As in the previous book, different artists create the illustrations for each city, which amplifies the sense of traveling between dissimilar destinations. Jocelyn Kao uses bright jewel tones for her overhead view of Rio (the Christ the Redeemer statue features prominently), while Gary Venn pictures Rome’s Spanish Steps, Colosseum, and other tourist favorites through faux faded photographs tacked to a board. The visual diversity of the artwork and Walden’s accessible, caption-style text offer a distinctive overview of these urban landscapes. Ages 8–11. (Sept.)