My Subway Ride

by Paul DuBois Jacobs, Jennifer Swender, K.J. Charles

Book Overview

Waiting for the train
music in the station
bucket drums
steel guitars
the beat and the wait and the rumble-growl
a light in the dark
a floating star
squeak and squeal and screech to the stop
My Subway Ride whisks you through the vivid sounds, sights, and rhythms of the heart of New York City's subway and all the great stops along the way. From the pitch, smack, home run of Yankee Stadium, to the rattle of the Cyclone and the sticky cotton candy on Coney Island, to the pulse of the crowd in Times Square, this book immerses you in the movement of the city. The pulse and beat of the subway train runs throughout the text, and the colorful and bold illustrations give the graphic sense of the subway, from fading train lights, to mosaic tile walls, to colorful graffiti, to a sea of faces. Join the subway station musicians who sing of the train's sound and rhythm as a pulse, the pulse/a heartbeat/ a jazz riff/ a constant sea/ a mama's belly/ whisking us home.
Paul DuBois Jacobs and Jennifer Swender are a husband-and-wife team living in Brooklyn, New York. Paul has coauthored three books with musician Pete Seeger: Pete Seeger's Storytelling Book, Abiyoyo Returns, and Some Friends to Feed: The Story of Stone Soup. Jennifer is an early childhood educator and curriculum developer. Paul and Jennifer's favorite subway line is the Q train.
Selina Alko lives in Brooklyn, New York, with her husband who is also an illustrator. Selina studied illustration in New York City at the School of Visual Arts. She has illustrated many educational books for children, including Show and Tell Rose (from McGraw Hill) and Jump Rope (from Bebop Books). Selina loves her daily commute on the subway. Her favorite line is also the Q train.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1586853570
• ISBN13: 9781586853570
• Release Date: August 2004
• Publisher: Gibbs Smith
• Length: 32 Pages
• Weight: 1.05 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.4" x 9.4" x 10.9"
• Age Range: 4 to 8 years
• Grade Range: Preschool to Grade 3

Customer Reviews

Subway ride

My 4 year old and I LOVE this, even though he's never been on a subway! Great writing, simple, but descriptive. Wonderful graphics. Makes me want to go ride one for sure!

The sights and sounds of the city come alive!

My Subway Ride is a wonderful reading experience! The beautifully crafted language and vibrant illustrations bring the New York City subway and its culture to life. This is not just a book for New Yorkers! My Subway Ride introduces young readers to the bustle, chaos and joy of urban living and celebrates the diversity and community that make New York a great American city.

Hang onto your hat; this is quite a ride!

A semi-finalists in the 2005 Independent Publisher Book Awards! "The city is the body, the subway is the blood, running through tunnel veins." There is poetry and music in these lines; the text pulses with a jazzy beat. This is a smart, sassy, hip presentation of the underground world of the New York City subway. From the moment the reader "buys" a ticket and climbs aboard, he or she will experience some of the voices, color and imagery of this bustling place. On the subway cars, we see many different faces - various ages, ethnic groups, nationalities, walks of life: "A sea of faces, an ocean of voices, a bit of the world in every car." The readers stop at different points of interest: Yankee Stadium (161st Street), Times Square (42nd Street), Coney Island, and so forth. The illustrations are bold and riveting. At one point, the subway cars ride up the spine of a dinosaur skeleton in a natural history museum. This is a terrific introduction to the subway system, and perfectly timed: 2004 marked a century of use. [...]