Kirkus
Copyright © Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.

A child learns to appreciate Nanas urban environs.Nana has a new apartment in the city, and her grandchild is excited but nervous about visiting. I love my nana, / but I dont love the city, she tells readers. Accompanying art depicts how the city seems busy and loud and filled with scary things. Illustrating the last point, the picture shows the child small and scared against a graffitied wall while following Nana and looking back at a homeless man who is begging with a cup held before him. That night, Nana listens to her grandchilds fears and promises a better day, but she also describes her love of the city. A facing wordless spread depicts Nana knitting into the night; careful readers may recognize the red yarn from a title-page vignette of two cats with a ball of yarn. The next day, she gifts her grandchild a knitted red cape (the same one depicted in jacket art). This acts as a security blanket or magical talisman of sorts to change the childs perspective of the city. Even an encounter with the previously scary homeless person becomes an opportunity for kindness as Nana hands him not money, but food. Throughout, Castillos soft, warmly colored art expresses the childs changing feelings about the city while also depicting the characters close bond.A sweet story for country-mouse readers. (Picture book. 3-6) Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.

Horn Book
(c) Copyright The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

Visiting Nana in the city, the unnamed child narrator is initially unreceptive to the appeal. "The city is busy...loud...[and] filled with scary things." Nana promises to show her young visitor that "the city is wonderful--bustling, booming, and extraordinary," and their tour the following day does just that. The simple, meaningful text is well served by richly detailed watercolors conveying a bustling city. (c) Copyright 2015. The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.