50 Cities of the U.S.A.

August 14, 2017
In this oversize companion to The 50 States, Balkan and Linero look at 50 U.S. cities, one for each state, pictured from above in grid-style maps. Introductory sections identify noteworthy characteristics (“Memphis has been called one of the most musical places on the planet and, for sure, you can hear live music each night on Beale Street”), while sidebars offer facts and ideas about how to spend a day in each city (“Dig for bones in the Bonehunters Quarry at the Carnegie Museum of Natural History,” Balkan suggests for a morning in Pittsburgh, Pa.). Readers will learn plenty of trivia-worthy details about these cities, though they may get less of a sense of their geography—the maps are fairly littered with tiny icons representing local landmarks, attractions, historical events, and figures, along with accompanying captions. Ages 7–10.

January 1, 2018

Gr 2-5-Balkan covers 50 cities, representing most states and Washington, DC, in this lively volume. The pages are busy with cartoon illustrations and chatty facts on everything from city nicknames to well-known denizens to beloved places and festivals. Balkan also includes a schedule of activities for each city. Readers can stroll along the 1.7 miles of the Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco; visit the Liberty Ship Memorial in Portland, ME; or stop by the Beverly Cleary Sculpture Garden in Portland, OR. The information is laid out over softly hued street maps of the various cities. This engaging volume contains a surprising amount of information in a brief amount of space. A "Cities We'd Also Love To Visit" section and an extensive index finish off the book. VERDICT Fun, fast trivia. While not intended for in-depth research, this is a highly entertaining delight for browsers.-Anne Chapman Callaghan, Racine Public Library, WI

Copyright 2018 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

August 15, 2017
The creators of the fact-packed The 50 States (2015) give as many of the United States' bustling burgs similarly upbeat, panoramic overviews.Printed on simplified street maps that provide loose geographical anchors, each of the alphabetically arranged surveys fills an oversize spread with graphic vignettes and descriptive notes about select neighborhoods, institutions, sports, and sights, plus a carefully diverse cast of prominent natives, local cuisine, historical highlights, and major festivals. Each features a box of "Key Facts" (all nonstatistical except for population) and an infeasible but tantalizing itinerary for a day's tour. The information is current enough to include mention of Hamilton on Broadway and audience-conscious enough to cite hometown superheroes where appropriate, along with site-specific books for young readers. It's all compiled with a sure instinct for sparking urges to visit or at least to find out more. Who, for instance, would want to pass up the International Cryptozoology Museum in Portland, Maine, Flaming Lips Alley in Oklahoma City, or the chance to drive a bulldozer at Las Vegas' Dig This? Washington, D.C., caps the main tour, but lest any state go unrepresented Des Moines and seven other cities that didn't make the cut get their "Key Facts" laid out at the end. As selective as the companion outing but a trove of data nonetheless for tourists of both the active and armchair sorts. (index) (Atlas. 8-12)

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