I was just commenting the other day about Ashley Barron’s art and how much I love it. I was super excited to receive a copy of her newest book written by Darren Lebeuf titled My City Speaks.

This author/illustrator duo is also behind the beautiful stories My Forest is Green and My Ocean is Blue so it was nice to also have a story about the city to compliment their explorations of nature.

In My City Speaks, the narrator, a girl, who is blind, and her father navigate the city by highlighting the sounds, smells, tastes and textures she experiences. On the first page you don’t notice the narrator is blind but once she leaves the house with her white cane, readers will recognize her mobility device and be able to place her sensory disability and if not, adults who are reading to the children can use this as a point of discussion about the different ways we experience the world.

Ashley Barron’s illustrations are full of all of the experiences of the city. There are lots of people and vehicles and parks and animals. There is public transit and fruit markets and concerts in the park. For those who live in the city there are many things featured that are immediately recognizable and for those who don’t, the illustrations give readers a city experience within the pages.

It’s a wonderful story, perfect for the youngest readers to talk about city living versus country living, to start a conversation about disability or just to enjoy the elegant descriptions and beautiful art.