Nana in the City by Lauren Castillo

"I went to stay with my Nana at her new apartment in the city. 

I love my nana but I don't love the city."

At its heart this simple picture book is about point of view. The little boy finds the city is loud and scary. But his nana says it is wonderful - bustling, booming and extraordinary.

Nana has such wisdom. She makes the little boy a cape and the next day she shows him that the city is not at all scary because he can now be brave in his fabulous cape. Now slow down and take time to really look into the illustrations because, as is the way with the best picture books, at this point the pictures go way beyond the text. 

You will love sharing this book with your young reading companion and a bonus they might hear/discover a wonderful new word - extraordinary. Nana in the city was a Newbery honour title in 2015. Unfortunately, this book is outrageously expensive here in Australia at over AUS$42. I borrowed my copy from a well-stocked school library - they were lucky to purchase this book back in 2015 for AUS$20. 

What does the Caldecott mean to you?  It means so much to know that the committee felt my book was worthy of such an incredible honor. I am just so thankful. Now, because of this silver sticker, many more children will experience NANA—Maybe even while sitting on the lap of their own Nana—and that blows me away. This book was written as a tribute to my grandmother, who I traveled to New York to visit during my childhood summers, and to my late editor, Frances Foster, who was like family to me in New York City. 

Throughout, Castillo’s soft, warmly colored art expresses the child’s changing feelings about the city while also depicting the characters’ close bond. Kirkus

Publisher blurb:  In this magical picture book, a young boy spends an overnight visit with his nana and is frightened to find that the city where she lives is filled with noise and crowds and scary things. But then Nana makes him a special cape to help him be brave, and soon the everyday sights, sounds, and smells of the city are not scary—but wonderful. The succinct text is paired with watercolor illustrations that capture all the vitality, energy, and beauty of the city.

If you read this book with a preschool or Kindy group you could compare the themes of Nana in the City with Town Mouse and Country Mouse. I have put a few picture book versions in this post. And then you can read the sequel Nana in the Country. Here is the web site for Lauren Castillo.

This is a Story; Our friend Hedgehog

See lots more Lauren Castillo books here.

Here is the blurb for Nana in the Country: When Nana comes from the city to visit her grandson in the country, the boy is so excited to teach her about all the wonderful things he does on the farm where he lives—feeding the ducks, milking the cow, even tending to bees. But to his disappointment, Nana already seems to know how to do just about everything. And she isn’t the least bit nervous about picking up bugs or easing a hen aside to collect an egg. But then a storm hits in the night, and the boy must take the lead and make sure the animals are safe and dry. And it turns out there are many more unique-to-the-country adventures to surprise his beloved Nana with.