This book has a lot of information about cities of the past and present. It also gives information of how people can work on sustainability for the future. It is well organized with chapters that kids can easily find information in. Well written informative book.

Kiddo (9) and I read this as a bedtime book over several days. I think it took us 4-5 days of reading to finish (I read fast - luckily, kiddo listens fast).

I was dubious about it when I requested it, as city planning is not generally considered a good bedtime book topic and I've never found it particularly interesting. But kiddo prefers science and history books over the more traditional stories for bedtime books and the cover drew me in, so I took a chance.

We *loved* it. The author did a *fantastic* job making the topic of past, present, and future cities come to life on the page, and we learned SO much. Did I expect before finding this to be enjoying a book that is essentially city planning for kids? Hardly. And yet.

The book is broken up into five chapters: Mapping it Out, Getting Around the City, Water & Waste, Lights, Power, Action!, and Finding Food. Each of those chapters begins with what would make an ideal city that is good for people to live in, problems encountered with each, then what has been done in cities throughout history (Ancient Greece, Middle Ages Europe, Mesopotamia, Cairo, Tenochtitlan, etc), what is done in cities now, and what people have dreamed up for cities of the future.

We learned about oyster reefs, arc lamps, floating gardens, and rain gardens. The facts were easy to digest as they were wrapped up in such an engaging story, and both new and old ideas from all over the world were proposed as solutions for the future. And it does read more like a story than a history book, so it's incredibly engaging.

The focus, throughout, is what makes a city good to live in, sustainable, equitable, and meeting the needs of all its residents. It was a refreshing perspective and I came away with a more positive view of cities than I had held previously and both kiddo and I came away with a desire to learn more. And really, that's what makes the best kids' books.

Here are my 9-year-old's thoughts:

"It was very good! I'd give it five stars! [Kiddo usually gives 4, so that's a ringing endorsement.] It was all pretty interesting and there were no boring parts. I learned a lot about cities! One thing I learned was it's very important to keep waste separate from water when designing a city."

This should absolutely be in upper-elementary / middle-school classrooms and libraries. I'll be recommending it to my library for sure and kiddo and I will be seeking out the other books in this series asap.

*Thanks to NetGalley and Orca Books for providing an early copy for review.

In a Nutshell: An amazingly informative book about the past, present, and future of cities. Meant for MG readers, but will offer lots of fun trivia to everyone.

Most of you reading this review might be city dwellers. Have you ever thought about what goes on behind the scenes? The water in your taps, the easy sanitation, garbage disposal, public transport… we take everything for granted. But there must be so much of planning and coordination involved in all these activities that never even crosses our minds.

Cities didn’t even exist about 9000 years ago. Within this relative short span, the number and importance of cities has grown so much that we can’t imagine any country without thinking of its metropolises. It is astounding to realise that 50% of the world’s population (4 billion people) today lives in cities, a number that is expected to go up to 7 billion by the year 2050. Cities also contribute to 60% of the world’s greenhouse gases. Like them or hate them, you can’t ignore the significance of cities.

Just like the cities themselves, the problems faced by cities have also changed over the years. While initial urban planning might have been more focussed on providing the basic amenities to its denizens, cities today are also compelled to think about sustainability, effective waste management, environmental friendly initiatives and climate change threats while still keeping the billion residents satisfied.

If any of the above points sounds interesting to you, you have got to read this book!

The book covers myriad topics in a reader-friendly way. And when I say ‘reader-friendly’, I mean the target reading audience of 9-12 year olds. City planning, transport, water and waste, electricity, food supply… all extensive topics covered in an accessible manner. The content doesn’t cover only positive historical facts but also includes the darker side of cities, covering diseases, gentrification, marginalised community displacement for new construction, and so on. There is a detailed glossary at the end.

I loved the special sidebar: “If I lived in …”, covering cities as varied as Mesopotamia to York to Curitiba to Taipei. It was an excellent way of imagining historical and contemporary life across the world. Another fun sidebar was “When You Gotta Go”, offering insights about public bathroom facilities in cities across the ages.

The book has the text arranged in well-spaced blocks of manageable length. This never makes the text overwhelming. The content is accompanied by gorgeous photographs of city spaces from across the world as well as excellent digital illustrations.

I must add that the author has done her graduate studies in environmental urban planning. Hence her grasp and comfort over the topic shows itself on every page. The content could have become too complicated, but the author’s approach keeps things interesting all the way.

I appreciate how the book covered cities from across the world rather than sticking to Western countries. That said, there was one little factual error in the information about Mumbai (Dharavi isn’t an edge city but a locality very much in the heart of proper Mumbai city), which made me wonder if there could be possible errors in the other tidbits that I may not have realised due to my lack of familiarity with those cities.

In short, this would definitely be a fascinating book for children wanting to know about cities as it is full of information and trivia. Strongly recommended to homes, schools and libraries.

4.5 stars.

My thanks to Orca Book Publishers and NetGalley for the DRC of “Cities: How Humans Live Together”. This review is voluntary and contains my honest opinion about the book.

Cities: How Humans Live Together is intended for children ages 9-12. This book contains wonderful information about the history, infrastructure, and importance of cities. There is also an emphasis on protecting the earth and the humans who live on it! I loved that the imagery in the book was supplemented with both photographs and beautiful illustrations.

Thank you to the author, the publisher, and NetGalley for an eARC in exchange for my honest review!

I received an ARC of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

This is a great book that would teach a child a lot about cities.

A great interesting book about cities around the world! Full of great facts, it has a fun mix of photos and drawings! I think this would make a great book for an upper elementary or middle school classroom about geography. Lots of fun!