Two new books offer kids seek-and-find challenges in a format that they won’t be able resist: the foldout. Josh Cochran’s New York unfolds to reveal more than six feet of colorful scenes and iconic landmarks from Brooklyn’s Coney Island to the Bronx Zoo. James Gulliver Hancock’s Park takes readers through the seasons via a panoramic panel of silly scenarios, humming with activity and oversize creatures, wandering ninjas, and folks out for a bit of fresh air. In both titles, words are limited to a list of items to find and an occasional sign.

New York: Inside & Out. illus. by Josh Cochran. 16p. Candlewick/Big Picture. Sept. 2014. pap. $17.99. ISBN 9780763675202. LC 2013953402.

Gr 2-5 –They’ve been around for a while, but the concertina, or foldout, book has recently seen a mini-revival: witness Chris Oxlade’s Planes, Trains, and Automobiles (Design Line, 2014), illustrated by Mike Lemanski, and James Gulliver Hancock’s Park (Lonely Planet, 2014), among others. Cochran’s title joins this group with a six-and-a-half-foot-long illustration of New York City. Starting with Brooklyn’s Coney Island and ending with the Bronx Zoo, the vibrant panel is packed with detailed images of neighborhood scenes and city sights from morning to night: Eddie’s Sweet Shop, the Museum of Natural History, the Chrysler Building, Madison Square Garden, the Brooklyn Bridge, and more, in a delightful jumble (buildings 20 blocks apart sit next to each other). New York’s newest skyscraper, One World Trade Center (the Freedom Tower) can be seen on the skyline. The reverse of the panel offers interior views: the spiral ramp of the Guggenheim’s main gallery, a basketball game in play at Madison Square Garden, customers inside Katz’s Deli, etc.). There is no text per se, just a challenge to find 80 New York icons “from the Brooklyn Bridge to a baseball cap” (illustrations provided). As children adventure on this search-and-find mission, they’ll appreciate the many touches of humor: monkeys cavorting on the Guggenheim Museum, King Kong scaling the Empire State Building, window washers working on high, messengers bicycling about, and buskers performing, as well as a mysterious abundance of pizza slices and bananas to spot throughout the city. More fragile than most, but well worth adding to collections.–Daryl Grabarek, School Library Journal

Park: A Foldout Book in Four Seasons. illus. by James Gulliver Hancock. 6p. Duo Pr. Sept. 2014. Tr $16.95. ISBN 9781938093302.

Gr 2-5 –In urban parks across the country, skateboarders share spaces with soccer players, seniors with sunbathers, and squirrels with sparrows. Whatever the species, these park-goers pack into green spaces and own them with resolve, often oblivious to their neighbors’ activities and antics. Hancock illustrates this urban phenomena on a panel that unfolds to nearly five feet as it unveils a landscape filled with people and creatures enjoying a variety of pastimes (fishing, bicycling, and sledding) and treats (ice cream, cocoa, and hot nuts) as the seasons change. A closer look reveals all sorts of wacky goings-on and peculiar scenarios: a young man riding a huge bee, birds sipping sodas, giant carrots and strawberries growing in a garden, ninjas and gnomelike figures strolling about, and a few skeletons waving from the sidelines as fall turns into winter. There is a lot to pore over here, and fans of Martin Handford’s “Where’s Waldo?” (Candlewick) will relish this title. As in those books, readers are assigned a mission: “to find lots of fun stuff.” The back pages list people, animals, and objects to locate and wordless stories to follow as they develop over the year. The silly scenes detailed in pastel artwork and the hide-and-seek challenge are sure to garner an appreciative audience.–Daryl Grabarek, School Library Journal