What a fun little picture-book! With simple, rhyming text and colorful photographs, Isabel Hill highlights the many architectural animals to be found on the buildings of New York City: "Come to the city and you will find, / animals, animals of every kind. / Walking the streets is like visiting a zoo, / but the animals are on buildings, so come find a few."

Donkeys that form a decorative metal grille, dogs carved into a stone column, bunnies looking out from a cornice line, elephants holding up flagpoles: each example highlights a different architectural element or style, all defined at the rear of the book. Also at the rear is a list of locations, so enterprising young New Yorkers can track down these urban animals, if they so choose! Educational and fun, Urban Animals will appeal to kids who are interested in architecture, who love animals, or who just like to notice the details. ( )