Book review: 'New York Day & Night' is a fun overlay picture book for elementary grades

I'm still highlighting books for Earth Day over here!

Can you celebrate Earth Day if you're living in the big city? Of course! And, when thinking of big cities, New York is always one of the first one people's lists.

When I asked my daughters which bedtime story they wanted me to read first, my seven-year-old pounced on "New York Day & Night." As we turned the blue overlays we wondered what would be beneath them and each time were delighted with what we found.

Image from Prestel.com

This book is different from ordinary picture books. Instead of merely telling the story of the famous city that never sleeps, it takes children on an adventure, showing them that ofttimes our imaginations are much scarier than what is reality.

For instance, this page depicts what could be viewed as a scary snake.....

Image from Prestel.com

But once this overlay is turned, readers find instead a harmless train!

Image from Prestel.com

As I read this with my two middle children, they soon picked up on the fact that "New York Day & Night" was trying to trick them. Each time we came to the overlay, they'd look at the picture and try to guess what was actually shown on the other page, picking out which parts were the same on each. Reading this book was a fun experience for all of us.

"New York Day & Night" is a fun picture book with nothing offensive in it. While Prestel Publishing recommends this book for ages up to 5, my 7-year-old was the one who got the biggest kick out of this reading adventure.

Aurélie Pollet and Vincent Bergier live in the city with the best baguettes in the entire world: Paris, France.