20+ Children’s Books Set in New York City
These children’s books set in New York will instantly transport you! Pop in your email address below and I’ll send the printable list right to your inbox.
There aren’t many cities more beloved than New York City and as a major tourist destination, it’s fun to read about this beloved place whether you’re planning a trip there or doing a little armchair adventure.
(My daughter and I took a trip to New York City a few years ago and had the best time together!)
Here are some of my favorite picture books and chapter books about New York City – if I missed any great ones, let me know in the comments!
Children’s Books Set in New York City
Picture Books
Eloise by Kay Thompson
I don’t know what screams New York City more – Kevin McCallister in Home Alone 2, or 6-year-old Eloise at the Plaza Hotel! Eloise is spunky, smart, and a little bit mischievous and her antics definitely put a smile on my girls’ faces.
Balloons Over Broadway: The True Story of the Puppeteer of Macy’s Parade by Melissa Sweet
I am legitimately obsessed with this book and I love bringing out my copy every Thanksgiving about the boy who loved puppets and grew up to create the famous balloons that make up the Thanksgiving Day parade. The color and art in this book bring it to life and the end notes and photos and make it even more special. (Full review here)
Hot Dog by Doug Salati
What do you call a dachshund stuck in the city on a very hot summer day? A hot dog! This poor hot dog just needs a little breeze, a little sand, and a little bit of beach to make things better. This one snagged the Caldecott Medal for best illustrations recently.
The Man Who Walked Between the Towers by Mordicai Gerstein
This true story about a man who snuck up to the nearly-completed Twin Towers and walked a tight rope between them won the Caldecott Medal and it is delightful and touching. I love this book so much.
Planting Stories by Anika Aldamuy Denise
The illustrations in this one are so gorgeous! It tells the story of Pura Belpré, a trailblazing librarian who brought the folklore of Puerto Rico to life for children in New York City through stories, puppets, and books.
You Wouldn’t Want to Be a Worker on the Statue of Liberty by John Malam
This whole series is wildly popular (when I was a librarian, I couldn’t keep them on the shelves), and this one is perfect for understanding what went into the building and transporting of the Statue of Liberty.
Her Right Foot by Dave Eggers
This non-fiction book garnered approximately forty million awards when it came out a couple of years ago and for good reason. This look at the Statue of Liberty and what she represents with her right foot walking forward is so touching. You can watch a little book trailer here to get a feel for it.
Abuela by Arthur Dorros
A dreamy, heartwarming story of Rosalba and her abuela taking a magical flight over New York City, filled with familiar sights and sweet moments together. There is Spanish sprinkled throughout and I love that it celebrates the special bond between grandmother and granddaughter.
Blackout by John Rocco
I LOVE this book about a neighborhood blackout on a summer night where, when all the computers and televisions shut off and it’s hot indoors with no AC, everyone comes outside and has a pretty magnificent neighborhood party together.
Fireboat: The Heroic Adventures of John J. Harvey by Maira Kalman
The John J. Harvey was a fireboat built in the 1930s and it served faithfully for decades in the harbors of New York City. But by the mid-90s, the need for fireboats had dropped dramatically and people assumed that it was time for the John J. Harvey to be turned to scrap metal. But a small group of friends thought otherwise and on 9/11, the John J. Harvey came out of retirement to help fight the fires on Manhattan Island.
Sector 7 by David Wiesner
Starting at the Empire State Building, a boy is swept into a wildly imaginative, adventure above New York City when a mischievous cloud invites him to help redesign the skies. This one is a wordless picture book that is quirky, creative, and unmistakably New York City!
Red and Lulu by Matt Tavares
This might be a one of my favorite Christmas stories, but it still takes place in New York City. It’s about a pair of cardinals who live together in a giant tree in a family’s yard. And when that tree is chosen to be the tree for the Rockefeller Center, the birds are separated. The illustrations on this one especially are just to die for. Definitely don’t skip this if you’re visiting New York at Christmas time.
Sky Boys: How They Built the Empire State Building by Deborah Hopkinson
Told through the eyes of a young boy, this fascinating picture book brings the building of the Empire State Building to life, capturing the excitement of watching New York City’s skyline transform in real time. It’s a captivating glimpse into 1930s NYC and one of its most iconic landmarks.
The Curious Garden by Peter Brown
I’ve long loved this book about a little boy in the city who finds an abandoned garden and decides to take on the responsibility of caring for it, eventually turning it into a botanical wonderland that transforms the entire city. Perfect to read before you walk the High Line.
Subway by Christoph Niemann
Whether you’ve got a little vehicle enthusiast at home or you’re gearing up for a subway ride of your own, this bright, colorful picture book is such a fun pick. A vibrant, fast-paced celebration of life underground, it captures the sights, sounds, and energy of zipping beneath New York City in a way kids will instantly recognize and love.
Twenty-One Elephants by Phil Bildner
Growing up alongside the construction of the Brooklyn Bridge, Hannah becomes fascinated by the “metal monster” and all its remarkable engineering details, even as others worry it isn’t safe to cross. When fear keeps her own father from letting her walk it, Hannah looks to P. T. Barnum and a parade of elephants to help prove the bridge’s strength once and for all.
The Gardener by Sarah Stewart
Lydia Grace Finch arrives in a gray, bustling city with nothing but a suitcase full of seeds and a determination to bring color wherever she can…starting in her uncle’s gloomy bakery. Through quiet acts of care and a hidden rooftop garden, she slowly transforms both the shop and the hearts around her, proving that the smallest seeds can change everything.
Lyle, Lyle, Crocodile by Bernard Waber
You might recognize Lyle the crocodile from the movie, but the story actually began as a beloved 1980s picture book set on East 88th Street in New York City. Living happily with the Primm family, Lyle helps around the house and charms the neighborhood – until one grumpy neighbor decides he belongs in a zoo, forcing Lyle to prove there’s much more to him than a crocodile smile.
You Can’t Take a Balloon into the Metropolitan Museum by Jacqueline Preiss Weitzman
If a trip to NYC includes a stop at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, this would be a fantastic book to read before. A runaway yellow balloon floats through New York City (from Fifth Avenue to Central Park to a chaotic stop at the Met Opera) mirroring a little girl’s visit to the Metropolitan Museum of Art in a playful, inventive celebration of art and city life.
Me and Momma and Big John by Mara Rockliff
Told from a child’s perspective, this luminous true story follows a stonecutter mother who works on a single stone for New York City’s Cathedral of Saint John the Divine, while her children eagerly await the moment they can see her work. When they finally visit the cathedral, they discover a surprising truth about art, pride, and the quiet, lasting legacy of a job well done.
Chapter Books Set in New York
The Cricket in Times Square by George Selden
This classic is a great book for any elementary schooler! It’s sweet, a little old-fashioned, and just a fun story about a cat, mouse and a cricket. This trio is hard to not love with all of their adventures!
Percy Jackson and the Olympians by Rick Riordan
This is probably the best known Greek mythology riff – I grabbed my mother-in-law’s copy of this book when we were living there and I suddenly found myself without a next book to read to the girls and they are SO INTO it. Seriously, there were shrieks of despair every night when I finished for the evening. I read it back in 2008 and it’s fun to revisit – I enjoyed it MUCH more as a read aloud than I did when I read it solo! (Full review here).
The Vanderbeekers of 141st Street by Karina Yan Glaser
This fun story follows five siblings who are about to lost their beloved brownstone home in Harlem, thanks to a cantankerous (and mysterious) landlord who refuses to budge. Watch out or you’ll read the whole series!
Lucky Broken Girl by Ruth Behar
Based on the author’s own life, this is the story of Ruthie, a Cuban-Jewish immigrant girl living with her family in New York City. She loves life in the city, playing hopscotch with her friends outdoors, and attending school. But after a car accident, she’s put into a full-body cast and spends a year home in bed recovering. While her world has become very small, she discovers lots about herself, her family, and the neighbors around them, and it’s a completely compelling and heart-warming story.
The Nine Moons of Han Yu and Luli by Karina Yan Glaser
I read this one aloud to my girls and we all enjoyed it so much! You probably know Karina Yan Glaser from her wildly-popular Vanderbeekersseries and this one – a dual narration book set in 1930s New York City Chinatown and 700s China – just snagged a Newbery Honor. Perfect before you hit up NYC’s famous Chinatown.
All-of-a-Kind Family by Sydney Taylor
Follow along on the daily adventures of a Jewish family with five girls living in New York City during the early 20th century. This heart-warming book shows the joys and struggles of this close family. I loved this series SO MUCH as a child and I’ve loved sharing it with my kids.
From the Mixed Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler by E.L. Konigsburg
I had read part of this book but never finished it as a child. We first listened to it as a family and it was a DELIGHT! I just loved every bit of this book about two siblings that run away from home and live, undetected, in the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City.
Nine, Ten: A September 11 Story by Nora Raleigh Baskin
This chapter book set in New York City follows four children in the days leading up to September 11, 2001, as they navigate personal struggles and unexpected connections – unaware that their lives, and the world around them, are about to change forever.
Harbor Me by Jacqueline Woodson
I read this book several year ago and LOVED it – it’s such a great middle grade chapter book about six children who spend every Friday afternoon together at school, free to talk about their lives without an adult listening in. (Full review here)
The Great Shelby Holmes by Elizabeth Eulberg
The first book in this series came in Ella’s Bookroo chapter book box and after she blazed through it, she checked out the next three books in the series from the library. Shelby Holmes is nine years old (but in sixth grade, thanks to her smarts) and she loves to solve the toughest crime. And when John Watson – the narrator – moves in to her Harlem neighborhood? The dognappers don’t stand a chance.
Towers Falling by Jewell Parker Rhodes
In this fantastic, middle grade novel, a group of fifth graders in New York City are living with the after-effects of the tragedy that took place before they were born. I read this one a couple of years ago and absolutely loved it.
When You Reach Me by Rebecca Stead
I read this book and loved it, but couldn’t quite figure out what to say about it. It’s quirky, to be sure, but fun and extremely readable. This book was universally a winner in the mock Newberys around the country and ultimately won the gold sticker. Perfect New York City setting!
A Tree Grows in Brooklyn by Betty Smith
This was one I meant to read for years and didn’t get around to until it was the only audiobook I had when I was doing hours and hours of driving every week down to my elementary school libraries in Boston. And I completely got the hype. This one is definitely for older elementary or middle school readers – I wouldn’t do this one before about 5th grade. (Full review here).
Stuart Little by E.B. White
This sweet classic can’t be missed! Stuart Little may be tiny, but his heart and sense of adventure are enormous as he tackles bus rides, sailboat races, and even teaching school for a day. But his biggest journey begins when he sets out to find his best friend Margalo!
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