Published by Atheneum

Summary:  When everyone had to stay home, wondering what would happen next, they looked out their windows at the empty city.  It wasn’t quite empty, though; there were still some people out in the streets keeping the city going.  Delivery people, trash collectors, construction workers, medical personnel, transit workers: they all continued to show up for work even when the rest of us stayed home.  The story ends with neighbors who gathered at their windows, balconies, and roofs to cheer, play instruments, and bang on pots and pans, acknowledging that they are still part of the city and saying thank you to those who are keeping it going. Includes an author’s note.  40 pages; ages 4-8.

Pros:  Another picture book inspired by the Covid pandemic, this one celebrates the essential workers who didn’t get to stay home when everyone else did.  The bouncy almost-rhyming text makes a nice complement to award-winning Illustrator Brian Floca’s lifelike drawings of vehicles and the people who operate them.

Cons:  Although I think it’s important to have books that commemorate the past year, I do wonder how they’re going to stand the test of time.