A Green Place to Be: The Creation of Central Park

Yazdani's debut picture book depicts the birth, bustle, and beauty of New York City's iconic Central Park. Vibrant watercolor illustrations full of period detail tell the park's story, beginning with a design contest in 1958. Essential to the tale are architect Calvert Vaux and park superintendent (and famed landscape architect) Frederick Law Olmsted, who win the design competition with their idea for "a green gift to everyone." The story's initial pages show African-American families having to leave their homes to make way for the park; the loss of their community, known as Seneca Village, is one of several additional facts briefly mentioned in the back matter. The Lake, the Ramble, and the Children's District are shown humming with the activity of wealthy-looking 19th-century parkgoers enjoying the amenities, as smaller vignettes focus on a few of the park's aesthetic touches; in one double spread, the park's many and varied bridges surround their designer. Watercolor scenes include a wide range of people enjoying the nascent park, and a final spread of diverse modern-day parkgoers reinforces Olmsted and Vaux's idea for this egalitarian enclave. An author's note and bibliography conclude. Ages 7-10. (Mar.)

Copyright 2019 Publishers Weekly, LLC Used with permission.

This delightful slice of history shows the hard work and careful planning that went into one of the world's great outdoor public spaces, New York City's 'vibrant jewel.' Yazdani's mesmerizing watercolor and pencil art teems with fascinating details as it makes the park's past and present seem unified, driving home the importance of creating and preserving 'quiet green spots in a fast-changing world.'
—The New York Times Book Review

New Yorkers are still enjoying their very special place to walk, play ball, sail model boats, attend concerts, and so much more. In 1858, two visionary men entered a contest to design and build what remains today as a "vibrant jewel at the heart of New York City." That is, of course, Central Park, and it was the visionary work and attention to detail by Calvert Vaux and Frederick Law Olmsted that created what is still an oasis of green...For park lovers everywhere.
—Kirkus Reviews

Yazdani's debut picture book depicts the birth, bustle, and beauty of New York City's iconic Central Park. Vibrant watercolor illustrations full of period detail tell the park's story...Watercolor scenes include a wide range of people enjoying the nascent park, and a final spread of diverse modern-day parkgoers reinforces Olmsted and Vaux's idea for this egalitarian enclave.
—Publishers Weekly Online

This enjoyable and accessible story of the creation of the world's most famous park opens with a wonderful scene: a modern, sunny day, done in pencil and watercolor (with some digital help), showing Central Park populated by charming and diverse cartoon-style people...Strong backmatter, in which Yazdani highlights the park's social and environmental roles, anchors this visually appealing, well-written, and all-around successful informational picture book, which celebrates that parks all across America "were made for you."
—Booklist

Yazdani's watercolors and text revel in both technical and aesthetic aspects of the creation of Central Park (the name "Greensward" was thankfully abandoned), with attention directed to details such as pavilions and footbridges as well as seasonal activities, and back matter adds biographical information on the designers, factoids concerning references within the illustrations, and a bibliography. New York's young natives and visitors will enjoy spotting their favorite haunts, and all viewers will be prompted to consider the infrastructure, embellishments, and amenities of their own local parks and playlots.
—Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books