City of Neighbors
A splash of paint, a place to sit, a popup park or playground bring life and a sense of fun to our cities.
Neighborhoods where people look out for each other, eat together, make art and build community are healthier, happier, greener and cleaner. Journey around the world to discover how people have been dreaming up new ways to ensure their cities and neighbourhoods are creative, inclusive and environmentally sustainable.
These placemaking ideas can be big -- like the skateboard park built on the grounds of an orphanage in Nairobi, Kenya -- or small -- like the painted rock snake that winds along a beach in Toronto, Ontario. Together, we can create public spaces where everyone belongs. Includes a list of ideas for children to get involved in their neighborhoods, along with a glossary and sources for further reading.
The ThinkCities series is inspired by the urgency for new approaches to city life as a result of climate change, population growth and increased density. It highlights the challenges and risks cities face, but also offers hope for building resilience, sustainability and quality of life as young people advocate for themselves and their communities.
Key Text Features
fact
further information
further reading
glossary
historical context
illustrations
resources
references
Correlates to the Common Core State Standards in English Language Arts:
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RI.6.1
Cite textual evidence to support analysis of what the text says explicitly as well as inferences drawn from the text.
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RI.6.6
Determine an author's point of view or purpose in a text and explain how it is conveyed in the text.
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ANDREA CURTIS writes books for adults and young people that have been published around the world. Her kids' nonfiction includes A Forest in the City, City of Water, City Street are for People and City of Neighbors in the ThinkCities series. She has also written the young-adult novel Big Water. Andrea lives with her family in Toronto, Ontario, where she likes to doodle, cook for friends and spend as much time as possible on her bike.
Katy Dockrill is a Toronto-based illustrator. An honours graduate from the Ontario College of Art and Design, she brings the simplest drawings to life with her fresh, cheerful and playfully detailed brush-and-ink work, a style her international and local clients expect and love. She has illustrated such books as Women Win the Vote! 19 for the 19th Amendment, A Voice for the Spirit Bears: How One Boy Inspired Millions to Save a Rare Animal and City of Water.
Along with colorful illustrations, this book is filled with suggestions and examples of what students can do to help their city neighborhood gain a sense of community.
-- "School Library Connection"A lively exposition of creative community-building projects.
-- "Kirkus"Brightly colored artwork ... exude a warmth and -energy befitting a book about engaging communities.
-- "School Library Journal"City of Neighbors is an outstanding narrative nonfiction book to inspire community action and galvanize positive change.
-- "CM: Canadian Review of Materials"[The Illustrations match] the upbeat tone of the narrative with street scenes featuring groups of residents and visitors casually lounging on, strolling past, or otherwise enjoying the results of these many types of [placemaking] initiatives.
-- "Booklist"
