The Way Downtown: Adventures in Public Transit

Gr 1–3—An enjoyable explanation of how residents of the fictional city of Zoom travel using a variety of public transit options—buses, subway, light rail, and ferries. Large, colorful, and detailed illustrations and bits of humor accompany each story, making them both fun and informative to read. Readers learn about the travels of the Zanies, a family of street performers; Robbie, a first grader and a photographer; and Agent Rybka, who is much more than just a spy. There are five separate stories in all. The writing and illustrations are not only laced with comedy, but also provide a clear sense of how a public transit system works. Each story is illustrated with a start-to-finish numbered flowchart followed by a more detailed sequence of illustrations. The artwork makes use of spreads and comic book-style sequences with speech bubbles, thought bubbles, and lots of additional information inserted as labels, definitions, and extra facts. The images also show how the public transit system works for the city's varied population—people of different ages, races, religions, and styles of dress; those who have disabilities; and the visually impaired. The book includes a glossary of words with clear, child-friendly definitions.