Robert Cameron (1911-2009) was a passionate photographer known for his gymnastic contortions out of helicopters to get the best panoramic shots of American cities. Here his granddaughter Nina Gruener offers clever captions aimed at young readers to accompany her grandfather's magnificent views of the five boroughs.
"They've been down in the subway, and seen buildings so tall/ Cam's having a blast, but he feels rather small" accompanies an aerial view from the southern end of Manhattan (you can see how Washington Square Park anchors Fifth Avenue) looking north to a patch of green that we can make out as Central Park. While Cameron's photos capture New York City at different times of day and in its many moods, Gruener's text retains a child's-eye view of the Museum of Natural History (which "looks lovely and old/ A castle-like dollhouse where mysteries unfold"), the Brooklyn Bridge ("its cables look like spider webs") and Wall Street ("No bulls or bears that he can see from up here/ Silly grown ups, there's nothing to fear"), among other highlights. Toward the end, the narrator becomes more reflective as he "wonders how it must have been/ to be a kid on Ellis Island, waiting for a new life to begin."
This smartly designed board book with thick matte corrugated pages is made for repeated readings. It's a great introduction to New York that doubles as a travel guide for children who are Big Apple–bound or armchair travelers. See also last year's Above San Francisco. --Jennifer M. Brown, children's editor, Shelf Awareness