cover image Somewhere in the City

Somewhere in the City

J.B. Frank, illus. by Yu Leng. Familius, $16.99 (32p) ISBN 978-1-64170-260-7

Utilizing the refrain “somewhere in the city,” Frank follows Lucy, a sandy-haired, pink-skinned girl who lives in a multiuse building and waits for her father to return from work while imagining his route home. The sensory details of the city at night come alive in fanciful, vintage-looking spreads by Leng. As Daddy “pushes through the revolving door” of his office on one page, the doors transform into a carousel on the opposite page (“SWISH, SWISH, spins the door”); a musician and a street performer are envisioned as a jester-dressed bear and a lion ringmaster, respectively. Frank portrays an idyllic dynamic: Lucy eagerly awaits her father’s bedtime story, and her father is just as eager to get home to his child, making for a satisfying reunion. This whimsical illustration of a sweet parent-child relationship will serve as a soothing bedtime read. Ages 4–7. [em](Apr.) [/em]