STARRED REVIEW *“A big urban adventure in a small package.” ―Publishers Weekly STARRED REVIEW *“Will delight young readers and grown-ups.” ―School Library Journal
From high up in a skyscraper to far below the ground in the subway, young readers will explore city life in a brand-new way in this fun addition to the Abrams Block Book series! Divided into three sections—things that go, things to see, and things to eat—Cityblock features 24 different aspects of city living. Kids who live in, visit, or dream about New York, Philadelphia, Boston, Chicago, Dallas, St. Louis, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Seattle, and more will love getting to know how cities work from top to bottom.
Like the previous books in the series, Cityblock has die-cut shapes on every spread and durable, interactive fold-out pages, perfect for little hands. Each section opens with a full city scene but gradually focuses in on the small, unique neighborhoods that make the city special.
This clever book will attract young readers living in urban hubs and suburbia alike with its bright, animated, retro-inspired artwork by Peski Studio. This is a must-have book for the little city slicker in your family.
Collect the whole series:
Alphablock Countablock Dinoblock Cityblock Buildablock Star Wars Block Marvel Alphablock Farmblock Disney Block Loveblock Sharkblock Sesame Street Countablock Spaceblock Pixar Buddy Block Bugblock
Also available: A BOX OF BLOCKS, featuring Alphablock, Countablock, and Dinoblock.
First sentence: Big city, on-the-go city! How will we get around?
Premise/plot: Cityblock is a board book that celebrates New York City. The first part focuses on how to get around. The second part focuses on what to do. The third part focuses on FOOD.
My thoughts: I loved this one. I loved the actual pages: the die-cut format of some of the pages, the way the pages unfold, the bulky size and shape of it. The text itself is great because of the rhythm and rhyme nature of it. The illustrations are bright and colorful. Dare I say it's a board book that goes beyond its 'toddler and preschooler' audience?!
Text: 5 out of 5 Illustrations: 3 out of 5 Total: 8 out of 10
Een echt supertof en leuk boek waarbij je steeds door naar de volgende pagina te gaan (door middel van leuke vormpjes en meer, sorry ik kan het gewoon niet beter uitleggen op dit moment) uitvindt wat deze grootvader en zijn kleinkinderen gaan doen. We hebben 3 thema's. Vervoer, waarbij we ze zien rijden in een taxi of varen op een boot. Eten, waarbij we allerlei lekkers krijgen van nacho's tot pretzels. En dan is er nog de dingen die te doen zijn in de stad, zoals naar een museum! Dit trio heeft echt een geweldige tijd in de stad~ Ik vond het echt erg leuk vormgegeven en ik weet zeker dat kinderen dit boek helemaal geweldig zullen vinden. Leerzaam en leuk! Ook de illustraties vond ik top. Erg leuke stijl al vond ik de gezichtsexpressies soms een beetje vreemd (dan kijken ze opeens verdrietig/angstig terwijl dat niet bij de situatie past).
The kid loved all the recognizable city details and transportation, especially around age 3. And finding the black cat is a favorite element of each read through.
Walkable Urbanism. A planner (or modern neolib's) wet dream.
The Peskimo art is blocky and modern, reminiscent of the twee illustrations you'll see on many 2010's website or transit PSA from a first rate city. The interactivity is lightweight--don't expect fuzzy touch and feel sections--but a pleasing inclusion.
My biggest complaint is that it's a bit long for what it is and it's basically three books (city transit, city sites, city food) smushed together as one. As a board book, it ends up being a bit bulky for my tastes.
They can't all be winners. My song and I loved "Countablock" and "Alphablock." Citybook has the same great illustrations and flap style but the content of the book is too unfocused for me. I get that the point is to take a trip through the city. Midway, my 2-year-old was saying "the end, the end." He actually sits through longer books than this, so it's not the length. It just didn't flow as well as the other two we read. Honestly, I would still buy this book to have a collection of all of Franceschelli's board books.
Explore all the wonderful things you can do, see, and eat in a big city! Great celebration of city living, wonderfully sweet and diverse illustrations. I love the format of the book, with different shaped pages. Little littles will love the variously shaped pages and searching for the little black cat in the illustrations!
I love the intricate cutouts in this deceptively simple book about city life. Even though there isn't really a "story" there is plenty to talk about on every page, and that makes it really fun to read together. Every page prompted Dallin to ask a myriad of questions, and we had a lot of fun discussing big cities together.
Learning about the city with your toddler? This is an excellent and engaging way to start to build the concepts. It jumps around on topics from city to food, which is a little strange, but still interesting.
Reading this post-pandemic makes us worry as there are so many people and no masks! But it is a great book! I love how the different sections talk about different themes: transportation, things to do, and food!
February is learning about the city. What a fun layout. Unique page cutouts give this book depth and movement. Colorful illustrations describe ways to get around the city (walking, subway, taxi, etc), diverse eateries, and what to do in the city. It's a favorite with the kids!
Filled with multicultural images of a major city, this text showcases not only how to travel around the city but also wonderful things, like ice cream, that you can find. Lift the flap pages and board book format. Great for story time!
Cityblock is an adorable board book that takes little ones on a exciting adventure as they discover all the city has to offer.
As the children and their grandpa (I assume that's who it is from the illustrations) venture into the city they take all sorts of modes of transportation like the subway, a bus, and a ferry. Then they do a little sightseeing and visit a museum, flea market, and a gift shop. Hunger sets in and the group has some tacos, sushi, and ice cream proving the city is full of places to explore.
Cityblock is such a fun book and the vibrant illustrations add to the delight. I love how each page offers so much to be discovered and little ones will be captivated by all there is to see. This creative picture book is definitely worth adding to your bookshelf.
Franceschelli and Peskimo help very young readers to enjoy the sights and foods of a big city! There are three sections to the book (transportation, sights, and foods) which each begin with some variation of "big city, _ city" making the book flow cohesively. Although the book never expressly names a city, it appears to be NYC with the yellow taxis, riding the elevator up high and looking through telescopes at the top, as well as the Natural History Museum. However the book is general enough that it could apply to many cities. I loved how colorful and fun this book was with the die-cut pages that give you a preview of the next page. I especially loved the food section with the pizza with a slice cut out and the chopsticks picking up sushi. Board book that is just lots of fun!
This book is so much fun! It features a lot of different shaped pages. It showcases all of the ways to get around a big city, the many things to do in a big city, and the variety of foods to eat in a big city. It's the perfect book for young children living in a city or even families who will be going on vacation to a city. It's original and engaging.