Think you know all there is to know about New York City? These five books for kids are all about the Big Apple and include NYC-themed activities and games, ideas for family outings, and trivia that may surprise you. Check them out:
Apple Art
Inspire your little artist with the travel-size (it easily fits in your purse) Doodle New Yorkby Puck and illustrations by Violet Lemay. With more than 100 doodles like “Finish the Statue of Liberty,” as well as QR codes for more doodles and five doodle challenges, your child will be entertained while waiting in line or riding the train. Plus, there are New York tidbits scattered throughout the book, including where you can meet dinosaurs and what a straphanger is (Hint: You’re one if you ride a subway). (Ages 5 and older; Duopress; $12.95)
Culture in Kid-Friendly Color
You might covet this cool set as much as your little budding architect! Chet the Architect: Learn to Draw New York City’s Museum Mile ($14.95) and Chet the Architect: Museum Mile Pocket Edition ($12.99), both by New York architect and mom Kathryn Koller, are beautifully printed and chock-full of delightful activities. The learn-to-draw book has step-by-step instructions to recreate nine museums on Fifth Avenue, including the recently opened Museum for African Art. The pocket edition (pictured) is an accordion-fold guide to Museum Mile with information about the museums, plus things to be on the lookout for. Next time you go exhibit-hopping, have your child be the tour guide! (Ages 4 and older; Butterfly Artistic Media; chetthearchitect.com)
History Close to Home
Have you ever wondered how some neighborhoods got their names? Did you know that our beloved Yankees were once called the Highlanders? Richard Panchyk’s New York City History for Kids: From New Amsterdam to the Big Apple with 21 Activitiesanswers these questions and more with a complete, easy-to-digest history from New York’s first visitors during the Ice Age (glaciers that shaped the land) to present day when the Freedom Tower became the tallest building in the city. This book also has 21 supplemental activities including walking tours, how to trace your ancestors, and a recipe for New York bagels—yum! (Ages 9 and older; Chicago Review Press; $16.95)
Canine Shenanigans at the Museum
Follow the tail of one adventurous pup on his school trip to the Museum of Natural History in Bailey at the Museumby Henry Bliss. In this picture book, Bailey can’t seem to stay out of trouble (what do you expect from a dog in a room full of bones?), which is why his new friend and field trip buddy is a museum guard. Kids are sure to find humor in Bailey’s antics as they see the museum from the pooch’s perspective. (Ages 3 and up; Scholastic; $16.99)
Never Bored Again!
From the science-based (making geyser rockets with Diet Coke and Mentos) and media-based (how to shoot and edit a stop–action movie) to the practical (tips to properly maintain your bicycle) and just plain fun (making LED graffiti), Unbored: The Essential Field Guide to Serious Fun by Joshua Glenn and Elizabeth Foy Larsen is 352 pages of indoor, outdoor, online, and offline activities, recipes, how-to guides, and information from various experts that is sure to keep the whole family occupied for hours. Plus, with trivia, best-of lists, and—dare we say it—pranks, kids will truly be “unbored.” (Ages 8-13; Bloomsbury USA; $25)
