On the Town: A Community Adventure
By Judith Caseley
Greenwillow Books (HarperCollins), 2002
For ages 5 and up

Charlie's homework assignment is to find out, "What is a community?" After school, he and his mama walk around their town while Charlie writes down the various places they stop in his notebook: the park, the police and fire stations, the library, the flower shop, the train station, etc.

The watercolor pictures are the On the Town's strongest feature, supplementing the narrative text with descriptive detail. The book does better at showing a sampling of the diversity of places within a community rather than their interconnectedness. Overall, it serves as a relevant introduction for young students curious about the different parts of their city or town.

* Visit the publisher's website for more information.</i>