B Is for Brooklyn

Alko (My Subway Ride), among the most visually eloquent promoters of junior-sized urbanism, turns her talents to the multicultural New York City borough of Brooklyn. It's a love letter through and through--there isn't even a scintilla of Portlandia-style spoofery--with Alko's outpouring of affection limited only by the physical capacity of the pages. "C," for example, includes Carroll Gardens, Court Street, Cherry Esplanade, and the Williamsburgh Savings Bank's clock tower, along with Coney Island and its subsidiary "C" words (clam bar, cotton candy, Cyclone). Each letter's visual melange, rendered in thick, saturated gouache and collaged elements (Alko is particularly fond of maps and the New York Times), exudes an appropriately artisanal vibe as it mashes together Brooklynites of every stripe (a Hasidic family, laptop-gazing "Intellectuals," transplants from around the world) just as the borough itself does. The visual shout-outs are fun as well, heralding the contributions of chocolatier Jacques Torres, Junior's Cheesecake, and even Walt Whitman. It's a loving tribute that successfully captures Brooklyn's diversity and character. Ages 2-6. Agent: Rebecca Sherman, Writers House. (Aug.)

K-Gr 4--The most colorful, populous borough of New York City comes alive in this eye-popping alphabet book. Beginning with a neighborhood map, each page is an exuberant celebration of the myriad places and people within. There are antique shops along Atlantic Avenue, the aquarium, the Cyclone roller coaster in Coney Island, the public library and museums, bridges, playgrounds, a petting zoo at Prospect Park, stoop sales, street fairs. ... Hungry? Locals have a hot dog at Nathan's or some cheesecake at Junior's. There's also pizza, egg creams, Italian ices, borscht, sausage, and falafel. Arabic shop signs, the Russian Baths, and the West Indian Parade are more evidence of this borough of immigrants. People of diverse skin tones and dress populate the pages. A dreadlocked dad pushes a baby stroller, a tattooed tough chick hangs out under the Brooklyn Bridge, and a Hasidic man appears with his family in Williamsburg. Writers and intellectuals sitting with laptops at neighborhood cafes, a street musician playing the xylophone on Avenue X, shoppers with turbans or hijabs, children running to the ice-cream truck-all call Brooklyn "home." Subtle elements including bits of street maps, postage stamps, fabric swatches, tickets, and crossword puzzles are incorporated into the vibrant, gouache-and-collage illustrations. A must-have for local libraries.--Barbara Auerbach, P.S. 217, Brooklyn, New York

"Alko's cheery mixed-media collages feature everything from ticket stubs to subway tiles to tearings from the New York Times best-seller list, accompanied by broad-brush paintings of the city's multicultural inhabitants. In this spirited rendition of Brooklyn, a baby-toting mother celebrates the local outdoor pleasures alongside an interracial couple, a mustachioed gentleman in his 50s and a blond girl in a wheelchair. A particularly gorgeous Mermaid Parade struts by for the letter M. With hoopla like this, wavering Manhattanites may wind up in Fort Greene rather than Larchmont." —The New York Times