Joyful Children's Books Set in New York City

You don't have to live in the Big Apple to enjoy these children's books set in New York City! These books reflect life in vibrant, joyful, diverse urban neighborhoods but will be enjoyed by everyone, whether you live in the city, country or suburbs.

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Picture Books

There are a lot - I mean A LOT of children's books set in NYC. I would venture to guess it is the most illustrated city in children's literature. In order to keep this list from getting out of hand, I chose to leave off some popular NYC children's books like Eloise, The Snowy Day, and Lyle, Lyle, Crocodile, so don't forget about those, too!

Abuela by Arthur Dorros. A girl and her Abuela hop on a bus to the park where the girl imagines flying high above New York City. On their imaginary flight they take in all the diverse and exciting scenes of city life. The text is peppered with Spanish words and phrases. Those of you looking for good books featuring positive grandparent-grandchild relationships, you will like this one. I also adore the vibrant, colorful illustrations, full of details to study. Also available in Spanish. Ages 4 and up.

MORE: Picture books about grandparents

The Man Who Walked Between the Towers by Mordicai Gerstein tells the story of funambulist (there's your word of the day!) Philippe Petit's 1974 feat. The dizzying views and magnificent skyline in the illustrations is accompanied by quite a poetic, but spare text. The book ends with an acknowledgement that the towers are no longer standing, but the overall tone of the book is optimistic and a tribute to both the towers and the daring ingenuity of Petit. Ages 5 and up.

MORE: Books for Remembering 9/11

What Happens on Wednesdays by Emily Jenkins, illustrated by Lauren Castillo. Head over to your library and check out this marvelous tale of a young child's daily Wednesday routine in her Brooklyn neighborhood. I love how both parents are equal partners and the illustrations hit all the right notes in the details of the neighborhood's inhabitants. Ages 4 and up.

Miracle on 133rd Street by Sonia Manzano, illustrated by Marjorie Priceman. On Christmas Eve, José's family is getting ready for a big dinner, but when the roast won't fit in the oven, José and Papi ask for help from the local pizzeria. On their way they notice that their neighbors are not feeling the Christmas spirit. But once the roast is finally ready, the delicious smell brings everyone together to recapture the true spirit of the holidays. A wonderful, diverse celebration of a book! Ages 4 and up.

MORE: Diverse Christmas Books for Kids

Herman and Rosie by Gus Gordon. Herman and Rosie are two musicians, but they are lonely, just waiting to meet someone they can call a friend. There is a lot of delectable detail in the book, both in the descriptions of the characters, and also in the drawings. It’s truly a love story – of the city, of music, of life. Ages 4 and up.

MORE: Children's books about friendship

City Hawk: The Story of Pale Male by Meghan McCarthy. When you think "New York City", do you think "wildlife"? I thought not. It just so happens that the city is filled with wildlife other than pigeons and rats. Pale Male was a well-known red tailed hawk who lived at the edge of Central Park. There was even a PBS movie made about him and his mate who took up residence on the balcony of a chic 5th avenue apartment building. Their nest caused quite a kerfuffle, sparking protests and government intervention. Ages 5 and up.

Keats's Neighborhood: An Ezra Jack Keats Treasury. Keats' most famous book is The Snowy Day, but he wrote many other books about the diverse children that populate the borough of Brooklyn, New York. I've always felt Keats' mixed media collages perfectly capture the vibrancy of urban life and the wide range of experiences that kids have playing and growing up on sidewalks and in apartments. Ages 4 and up.

The Tree by Karen Gray Ruelle, illustrated by Deborah Durland Desaix follows the 250 year story of a single elm tree in Madison Square Park, from its beginnings as a seedpod, through its determination to grow during both turbulent and calm years of the city's history. Each double page spread includes a time line of historical events and the book emphasizes the co-existence of nature and society as both evolve side-by-side. Ages 5 and up.

Chinatown. William Low's gorgeous saturated illustrations reflect the vivid experience that is NYC's Chinatown. Spare text takes readers on an intergenerational tour of the lively neighborhood. The narrator imparts the wisdom of his grandmother as he describes Chinatown from a variety of perspectives, such as shop windows, dense apartments, crowded sidewalks, subway entrances, and of course, the New Year celebration. Low has illustrated several other stellar NYC books such as Old Penn Station and Me and Momma and Big John. Ages 4 and up.

MORE: Books for Lunar New Year

Tell Me a Mitzi by Lore Segal, illustrated by Harriet Pincus is a classic I remember well from my childhood. It consists of three stories. In the first, Mitzi wants to visit grandma but since her parents are asleep, she gets her brother ready all by herself and gets them into a taxi, only to realize she doesn't know that address. The middle story will be familiar to moms everywhere who have to take care of everyone else when they are sick... until she gets sick herself. In the third story, the children and their father turn a presidential motorcade upside down over a piece of gum. All the stories are charming vignettes of daily life, sweet without being saccharine, and set in the city without screaming "Look at me! I'm an important landmark!" Ages 5 and up.

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ABC NYC: A Book About Seeing New York City and 123 NYC: A Counting Book of New York City by Joanne Dugan are wonderful books suitable for toddlers on up. While they are marvelous teaching tools for kids learning their letters and numbers I like them because they encourage the reader to look a little closer at the world around them. All of the locations are identified in the back of the book so whether you live in the city or are just an armchair traveller, you can put the photos in a city-wide context. All ages.

Subway by Christoph Niemann. Our beloved copy of Subway is worn thin. Every page is covered in tape holding it together. As soon as this book was published (2010) I snapped up a copy since I knew my boys would love it. With its snappy rhymes, copious use of the MTA (Metro Transit Authority) icons, and the spot on scenarios (what parent hasn't ridden the the subway just because their kids wanted to?), this is a book every subway-riding kid will want to snuggle up to. Ages 3 and up.

MORE: Pair your NYC reading with this sponge painted cityscape art project.

Knuffle Bunny: A Cautionary Tale by Mo Willems is a book you have likely heard of and perhaps already read to your kids. What you may not know is that the first two Knuffle Bunny books are photographed exclusively in the Brooklyn neighborhood of Park Slope, with its characteristic brownstones and wide sidewalks bordering the beautiful Prospect Park. Ages 4 and up.

Tar Beach by Faith Ringgold. At a family picnic on a hot summer evening on the roof of their Harlem apartment, a young girl imagines coasting through the starry sky on a blanket with her brother over the George Washington Bridge (you would be surprised at how many books there are that feature flights over NYC, I could make a list just about that!), which her father helped build. The girl's optimistic dreams of her own future and the possibilities ahead of her do not gloss over the hardship that her family faces. Ringgold's gorgeous illustrations are quilts come to life. Ages 5 and up.

The Castle on Hester Street by Linda Heller, illustrated by Boris Kulikov is a notable read for many reasons. First because Jewish immigrants play such an important role in the history of the city, but also because the idea of NYC as a place of opportunity is still firmly rooted in our consciousness. Grandpa Hester's storytelling is filled with fanciful details about immigrating to NYC with a singing goat, and selling jeweled buttons from a pushcart. He sees his past through joyful rose-colored glasses. Grandma, on the other hand, describes their immigrant experience through more practical lenses, but no less joyful. Ages 5 and up.

The Subway Sparrow by Leyla Torres. When a sparrow is trapped on a subway train, a group of diverse individuals work together to capture and release the frightened bird. Even though the subway riders don't all speak the same language, their desire to cooperate for the greater good helps them overcome their differences. Ages 4 and up.

Novels

To be honest, the number of great children's novels set in New York City that I want to recommend would fill its own novel. Reluctantly, I confine myself to the following handful with a knowing nod to Harriet the Spy, Stuart Little and Tales of a Fourth Grade Nothing.

Treasure Island by Jewell Parker Rhodes is a delightful reworking of Robert Louis Stevenson's classic adventure tale! After a mysterious captain at his mom's boarding house makes predictions that come true, Zane and his friends head to Manhattan to find treasure. On their skateboards, they follow clues on a map that take them to important historical sites. Their journey is filled with pirates, rival skateboards, riddles and danger! Ages 8 and up.

All-of-a-Kind Family (series) by Sydney Taylor. All-of-a-Kind Family is the first title in a classic series about a Jewish family with five girls growing up on the Lower East Side of New York City in the early 20th century. The old-school adventures of the family are heart-warming and entertaining. Ages 7 and up.

The Vanderbeekers of 141st Street (series) by Karina Yan Glaser. It is just before Christmas and the Vanderbeekers are going to be forced to move from their beloved Harlem brownstone unless they can change the mind of their grumpy landlord who just happens to be their upstairs neighbors. This creative, bi-racial family sets to work to win him over in this heartwarming story. Ages 8 and up.

When You Reach Me by Rebecca Stead. This book has an amazing "Wow!" ending. After an incident in which her best friend stops speaking to her, Miranda starts getting mysterious letters asking for her help. Miranda tries to interpret the letters and discusses time travel with another boy, Marcus. Part mystery, part sci-fi, part coming of age novel, this Newbery winner is not to be missed.  Ages 9 and up.

The Harlem Charade by Natasha Harpley. Good deeds bring Jin and Alex together. When they meet the homeless Elvin, he tells his new friends about a mystery surrounding his grandfather, who was just attacked and is now in a coma. Rare paintings by a mysterious artist of the 1960s is at the heart of it all. Harpley deftly weaves woven past and present in this spirited tale in which the culture and vibrancy of Harlem are center stage. Ages 8 and up.

Under the Egg by Laura Marx Fitzgerald. Just before Theodora's grandfather died, he whispered to her, "There's a letter… And a treasure" hidden "under the egg." Theodora, whose mother is incapable of taking care of her, must find away to pay the bills and she starts her search for this mysterious treasure involving a work of art. Her hunt takes her all over New York City, into the past, and introduces her to a diverse group of new friends. The secrets Theodora uncovers take her (and the reader!) by surprise. Ages 9 and up.

From the Mixed-Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler by E.L. Konigsburg. This classic tale for tweens is so well known it hardly needs an introduction. Claudia and her brother Jamie run away to NYC where they hide out in the Metropolitan Museum of Art and try to solve the mystery of a statue’s identity. Ages 8 and up.

MORE: Classic Books for Tweens

Better Nate Than Ever (series) by Tim Federle. Nothing says NYC more than Broadway! 13-year-old Nate's snappy narrative about his adventure in New York City auditioning for E.T. The Musical (yes, you read that right) is marvelous and incredibly funny. The scene in which Nate reads the "sides" during his audition had me laughing so hard I could barely see the words through my tears.  The two sequels are just as hilarious as the original. Ages 9 and up.

MORE: Middle Grade Books that Celebrate the Joy of Theater