PreS-Gr. 2. In the world there is a country. In the country there is a city . . . . So begins the text of this little picture book with a viewpoint gradually narrowing from the big picture to a specific neighborhood, street, yard, house, room, bed, blanket, and child. The young narrator then expands the focus outwards once again to encompass the whole world and ends with a final question that children will find irresistible. Drawn with different perspectives and with many intriguing details, the appealing ink drawings glow with washes in gentle shades of color. Though librarians may roll their eyes at the first page, which encourages children to write in their name, age, and town in a bookplatelike rectangle, this picture book is too good to pass up for fear of ink on the page. Accessible to a somewhat younger child than Robin Hirst's My Place in Space (1990), this is a winner for reading aloud individually as well as for school units on community or global awareness. --Carolyn Phelan Copyright 2004 Booklist

With just a brief line of text per page, Fitzgerald's (Emily's House) neatly designed square volume helps children better understand how they relate to the world. The narrative begins with broad strokes and moves to the specific: "In the world there is a country. In that country there is a city. In that city there is a neighborhood." Eventually readers meet a child under his or her bedcovers sleeping alongside a cat and dog. The child wakes and prepares for the day, then moves into ever larger surroundings to the staccato beat of the text: "Blanket on the bed. Bed in the room. Room in the house. House in the yard." The child plays outside with a friend, travels down the street, through the neighborhood and into the city, at which point Fitzgerald's single-page framed images pan further outward in full-spread paintings that reverse the original order. In the closing scenes, the child stares out the window, exclaiming, "This is me and where I am! Where are you?" Fitzgerald's artwork creates a safe and comfortable realm for both the featured child and readers. At first, Earth can be seen from space, contained in a small box. As the book's first half moves toward more familiar environments (the child's street, home and room), the illustrations zoom in. Then when the child's world widens at the end, Fitzgerald keeps the illustrations large, underscoring the idea that with familiarity, the world need not be so intimidating. Ages 3-6. (Oct.) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved

PreS-Gr 2-This book presents a delightful explanation for children of their physical location in the world. A young narrator describes his place on Earth, beginning with the globe, and then zooming in on his country, his city, his neighborhood, and eventually the blanket on his bed, and then back again. Simple phrases introduce each locale and the predictable pattern will enable even the youngest students to follow along or even "read" the story. Featuring black crayon lines and warm washes, the cartoon illustrations perfectly match the text. A wide variety of characters of all ages graces the city streets. Youngsters will enjoy looking at the details, including a jump rope on a porch, a cat in a yard, an ice-cream store, laundry on the line, and even crooked fences. This story will encourage youngsters to think about their own spot on this Earth.-Anne L. Tormohlen, Deerfield Elementary School, Lawrence, KS (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.