City Streets are for People
By Andrea Curtis, illustrated by Emma FitzGerald. Published by Groundwood Books
* KOBO Best of the Year in children’s literature
* Booklist Top 10 Environment & Sustainability Books for Youth
* Available NOW!
Congested city streets are often loud and noisy. They’re thick with cars and trucks, while pedestrians and bicycles are squeezed to the dangerous edges. But does it have to be this way?
Imagine a city where clean air makes it easier to breathe. Imagine a city where transit is easy to access—and on time. Imagine a city where streets are for people!
This fun, accessible and ultimately hopeful book explores sustainable transportation, including electric vehicles, public transit, bicycles, walking and more. It invites you to conjure a city of the future, where these modes are all used together to create a place that is sustainable, healthy, accessible and safe.
Illustrated by the talented Emma FitzGerald, it includes a list of ideas for kids to promote green transportation in their communities, along with a glossary and sources for further reading.
For Grades 3-7
Also available as an ebook.
The third book in the ThinkCities series from Groundwood Books
Reviews
“A kid-friendly look at how urban areas can move away from traffic congestion and fossil-fueled vehicles…. Lively hand-sketched illustrations with both traditional and digital coloring offer panoramic views of disparate cities teeming with a diverse array of people…. An empowering look at reclaiming urban areas from vehicles for a better quality of life and a greener future.”—Kirkus
“A clear, insightful and inspiring story about urban transportation, climate change, and what cities around the world are doing to create transportation that will make cities more vibrant, healthy and safe…”—Elissa Barnard, Ecology Action
A “thoughtful book for young environmentalists.”— Booklist
Buy now!
City Streets are for People is available wherever good books are sold. Visit your local independent bookstore or order it at these online retailers. It’s also available as an ebook and was named one of KOBO’s Best of the Year 2022 in kidlit!
Watch
Listen to a conversation about collaboration and sustainable transportation with me and illustrator Emma FitzGerald, hosted by crystal fletcher from All About Canadian Books.
Learning resources
City Streets are for People includes lots of ideas about how you and your class or family can support sustainable transportation in your school and in your city. Start a walking school bus! Paint the crosswalk to slow down cars! Kids can make a difference in their neighbourhoods.
Did you know?
- There are more bikes than people in Copenhagen.
- Public transit is free in the country of Luxembourg.
- More than half of residents in London, England, and New York City don’t even own cars.
- One bus can replace up to 30 cars on the road.
- It’s safer to travel in a bus than a car.
About Emma FitzGerald
Emma FitzGerald holds a BFA in Visual Art from the University of British Columbia and a Master of Architecture from Dalhousie University. She is the author and illustrator of the bestselling Hand Drawn Halifax, Hand Drawn Vancouver and Sketch by Sketch Along Nova Scotia’s South Shore, and the illustrator of EveryBody’s Different on EveryBody Street and A Pocket of Time: The Poetic Childhood of Elizabeth Bishop, an IBBY Canada Cleaver Award nominee.
Read
Check out these articles and interviews with me and Emma about our work on City Streets are for People. For more, visit here.
About ThinkCities
The ThinkCities series is inspired by the urgency for new approaches to city life as a result of climate change, population growth and increased density. It highlights the challenges and risks cities face, but also offers hope for building resilience, sustainability and quality of life as young people act as advocates for themselves and their communities.
Out now: City of Neighbors, illustrated by Katy Dockrill
