Madlenka by Peter Sis
After reading this book, I wanted nothing more than to move to New York City! Madlenka lives there in a high-rise apartment building in a neighborhood filled with interesting people and foods. When she wakes to find a loose tooth, she sets out to tell everyone in her block about it. Peter Sis’ illustrations make you feel like you are right there in Madlenka’s block, meeting all the storekeepers and viewing their wares. I would highly recommend this book for a unit on geography, but it would also work perfectly as a mentor text for setting. Look for another Peter Sis book called Madlenka’s Dog that is set up the same way. Many, many layers to these books.
