Cities - (Orca Timeline) by Megan Clendenan (Hardcover)

About the Book

Part of the nonfiction Orca Timeline series for middle-grade readers, this illustrated book examines the past, present and future of cities around the world.

Book Synopsis

If you could design a city that would be both a great place to live and good for the planet, what would it look like?

Today, about four billion people--more than half the world's population--live in cities. This number could rise to seven billion by 2050. Cities face big challenges, including threats from climate change, food insecurity, a lack of clean water and rapid population growth, but they are also places where innovation and sustainability can thrive.

Cities: How Humans Live Together travels through time to explore questions like When and why did cities form? How did people access food and water? Where did they go to the bathroom? Peek into the past to see how cities have changed through time and explore what could make cities more sustainable and welcoming for today and tomorrow.

The epub edition of this title is fully accessible.

Review Quotes

"Provides historical insight into the development and progress of cities over time in this cross-curricular nonfiction text. Can prompt students to dig deeper into the history of their own cities and understand how the roles and responsibilities of local governments have shaped how they came to be."

-- "BC Books for Schools"

"Older readers with a fascination for cities planning, global history and those looking for a research text will find a wealth of information in this book...Ogawa provides playful, expressive illustration alongside beautiful global photography on every page...Readers will look forward to future nonfiction ecological endeavours by Clendenan."

-- "Children's Literature Comprehensive Database (CLCD)"

"'Must-have' for middle grade readers...An engaging format with an information-packed text...By encouraging critical thinking about the development of sustainable, safe, equitable cities around the world, Cities challenges today's students to learn from the past and prepare for the future. Highly Recommended."

-- "CM: Canadian Review of Materials"

"Full of engaging facts...A colorful combination of photographs, cartoon illustrations, and infographics provides plenty of visuals in this appealing look at human history."-- "Booklist"

"Fascinating...Ebullient...A thought-provoking guide to the past, present, and future of cities."-- "Kirkus Reviews"

"Truly impressive...An engaging presentation of information that might otherwise be seen as technical and mundane. Recommended."-- "School Library Connection"

About the Author

Megan Clendenan has lived in all sizes of cities and loves to explore new neighborhoods on foot. She has traveled to school or work by subway, train, bus, bicycle and even by boat. She is the author of Fresh Air, Clean Water: Our Right to a Healthy Environment and co-author of Design Like Nature, part of the Orca Footprints series. Megan lives near Vancouver, British Columbia, with her family, where she is learning to grow vegetables in her backyard.

Suharu Ogawais a Toronto-based illustrator. Formally trained in art history and cultural anthropology, she worked for several years as a university librarian until her passion for illustration called her out of that career and into the pursuit of a lifelong dream. Since then Suharu has created illustrations for magazines, public art projects and children's books. She also teaches illustration at OCAD University in Toronto.