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Read Your Way Around NYC

7/16/07 - By Anna Fader
Summer and books just go together. Whether it's beach reading, summer reading lists, or those extra daylight hours, summer just seems like a good time to catch up on your reading. This week Mommy Poppins is going to help you turn your children's reading list into a week full of activities with a great idea that was suggested to me by our school Parent Coordinator, Laura. Laura wrote a terrific article in our school newsletter about a book, Storied City: A Children's Book Walking-Tour Guide to New York City. It takes all the children's books that have been written about New York and connects them with the real life city. Talk about experiencing literature first hand. I love this idea.

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Storied City is suitable for parents of kids of all ages. It covers picture book favorites like Lyle Crocodile and The House on East 88th Street up to novels for older children, like Paula Danzinger's Remember Me to Harold Square. The Lower Manhattan section, which uses children's books and literature to take you through the history of New York, would be great for homeschoolers or anyone who wants to show their children NYC history first-hand. Taking inspiration from the book, all this week, I'll be suggesting excursions you can do with your kids to experience their favorite children's books in real life. We suggested an outing like this a couple weeks ago with our Brooklyn Bridge/Dumbo walk and the book Twenty-One Elephants. Stay tuned for more to come. Storied City is out of print, but there are still some copies available on Amazon.

About the Author

Anna Fader

Founder of Mommy Poppins

A fourth-generation Brooklynite, Anna started Mommy Poppins in 2007 to help families find the best things to do with kids in NYC, with a particular emphasis on sharing activities that are free, affordable, and enriching. The site, used by millions of families, has grown to become the ultimate resource for parents in the major US cities, plus travel guides for 100s of destinations.

Anna is a believer in the magic of summer camps, traveling with kids, and that you can raise kids on a budget and still have a rich life full of amazing memories. Anna's first Mommy Poppins book, The Young Traveler's Journal and Activity Book, published in 2025 and co-written with her daughter, Amelia Eigerman, brings that ethos to life, in addition to this website.

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