Years ago when our then 10-year-old niece visited New York City, she was fascinated by the manhole covers on the streets. We admitted we had not really noticed them before. She loved all the different designs on the metal plates indicating whether gas, water, steam, electricity, or sewage lines where underneath.
In this biography written for children about Jane Jacobs (1916 – 2006), this young woman who would become an urban activist also notices manhole covers. She finds most things in the city interesting. Living in New York, she gets off the subway at different stops just to explore the neighborhoods. Among the things she learns is that the city is an ecosystem:
"It is made of different parts – sidewalks, parks, stores, neighborhoods, City Hall … and people, of course. When they all work together, the city is healthy."
Jane Jacobs is best known for the work she did in New York and later in Toronto to protect urban ecosystems. When the powerful city planner Robert Moses labeled her neighborhood a "slum" and proposed running a four-lane highway through it, Jane organized the community to protest the plan – not just once but three different times! New York, especially Greenwich Village, would not be the same had she not acted.
Whether you live in a city or just visit one, you will appreciate Jane's legacy: "She inspired communities to take a stand for their neighborhoods. She also encouraged everyone living in cities to look around them while they walked and to listen, linger and think about what they saw."
Walking in the City with Jane is designed for children in grades 1 – 3. Susan Hughes is an award-winning author of books for children. The colorful illustrations by Valerie Bolvin capture many sides of city life.
