Not For Parents New York City

Not For Parents New York City: Everything You Ever Wanted to Know (Lonely Planet Not for Parents) Paperback – October 1, 2011
Author: Lonely Planet ID: 1742208150

Age Range: 8 – 12 yearsSeries: Lonely Planet Not for ParentsPaperback: 96 pagesPublisher: Lonely Planet; 1 edition (October 1, 2011)Language: EnglishISBN-10: 1742208150ISBN-13: 978-1742208152 Product Dimensions: 6.5 x 0.4 x 8.3 inches Shipping Weight: 2.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies) Best Sellers Rank: #138,776 in Books (See Top 100 in Books) #86 in Books > Children’s Books > Geography & Cultures > Travel #330 in Books > Children’s Books > Geography & Cultures > Explore the World > United States #785 in Books > Children’s Books > Geography & Cultures > Multicultural Stories
This is a book of its time, as one would expect from the Lonely Planet people. It is colorful, geared toward (some) kids, and to some extent sacrifices content for presentation. Each subject gets a two-page spread filled with bright colors, lots of pictures (both photographs and animations), and pun-titled short blurbs. Topics include: the nickname "The Big Apple", ethnic foods, Central Park, Sesame Street, sports, Chinatown, Broadway, Coney Island, the Guggenheim, MoMA, the Brooklyn Bridge, subways, skyscrapers, inventions, Wall Street, 9/11, taxis, music, Warhol, Grand Central Station, etc. There are a total of 44 subjects as well as an index.

I applaud the effort, and I learned a couple of fun facts myself — an elephant-shaped hotel?! — but it’s difficult to know to whom this will appeal. There isn’t a lot of information given, just snippets and factoids, and no maps; there’s not much in the way of organization — topics are in random order (so the index will be useful); if you’re truly visiting the city, there’s not enough useful information, and if you’re interested in the history, there’s not nearly enough either, 4-6 blurbs in each spread, typically 1-3 sentences long. My twelve-year old nephew flipped through it and scanned a few things, but wasn’t particularly interested or impressed. And maybe I’m getting old and crotchet-y too, but I’m frankly tired of the "not-for-parents" selling point, which is reiterated in the introduction, stating it’s "definitely not for parents" and will show you a New York that "your parents probably don’t even know about". Really? Tiresome attitude considering it’s most likely the parents (or at least adults) who will buy the book and pay for the trip to New York.
I grew up within sight of the NYC skyline. I could see the tops of the tallest buildings in the City from my attic window and if I rode my bike a few blocks, I would be on the top of the Palisades, looking at the Hudson and beyond. To coin a phrase, I love New York! My mother used to work in NYC and since we didn’t have a car growing up, going shopping meant taking the "Orange and Black" bus to Port Authority and walking everywhere (my mother didn’t believe in spending 15 cents EACH for the subway). So, as I walked, I watched and learned. By the time I was in high school, I would take dates to NYC (yup, I even took a girl to see Sammy Davis in Golden Boy) So I was not only comfortable with NYC, I grew to really enjoy all that it had to offer. Music, art, street theatre and shopping. What a great place! And any book that hopes to educate a kid in the ways of the City – without talking down to him or her or speaking over the kid’s head is OK in my world.

My measure of usefulness for guide books is did I learn something I didn’t know. Once in a great while, I come across a gem and the book gets a thumbs up. For this book – one aimed at a younger and perhaps less experienced explorer – I backed off a bit on that requirement. Also, I backed off because they specifically said it wasn’t really a guide book. Rather, it was a book designed to tell the reader about NYC by relating fascinating stories about the culture, people, art and history.

I think authors nailed it pretty well – hitting a lot of the high points from interesting background on the skyscrapers, to the art scene (without getting too deep), throwing in the Zoos, Central Park’s amazing history and my favorite, FOOD!

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