Subway

Subway by Christoph Niemann

My rating: 1 of 5 stars
I think this book is fairly confusing to younger children. I think you need to understand and have some background knowledge of public transportation and the subway system to understand the confusing stark images.

I do think this would be great book to use with an art class to show how subtle changes makes the feel of the drawing feeling different. It could also be used in teaching perspective.

Booklist (April 15, 2010 (Vol. 106, No. 16))
Preschool-Grade 2. Train lovers everywhere will enjoy this picture-book ride conducted by a New York Times blogger. One day, a bored father and his two children take an adventure on public transportation through Manhattan and its neighboring boroughs. Along the way, they wave to rats and the Statue of Liberty, ride next to cowboys and bankers, and plan circuitous routes just to prolong the fun. The text is sometimes choppy and awkward (“Riding the A requires some patience if you plan to visit all forty-four stations”). But the gouache art is distinctively urban and bold. Faceless, silhouetted figures resemble those on the pedestrian crossing lights, and the NYC subway’s rainbow of iconic lines and signage is creatively woven into the dark, black underground and on the sunny elevated tracks. Other titles, such as Heather Lynn Miller’s Subway Ride (2008), are more universal. Niemann’s enthusiastic offering is an experience that, like many others, can only be had in the Big Apple.


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