ALA Booklist (Fri Mar 01 00:00:00 CST 2019)

This enjoyable and accessible story of the creation of one of the world's most famous parks opens with a wonderful scene: a modern, sunny day, done in pencil and watercolor (with some digital help), showing Central Park populated by charming and diverse cartoon-style people. We then jump back to earlier muddy days, when the land was more swamp-like. In 1858, the city held a contest to find a design for the park, which was won by Calvert Vaux and Frederick Law Olmsted e latter became known as "the very first landscape architect." The text acknowledges that some African American New Yorkers lost their homes to make way. The hard work of the construction and popularity of the park is demonstrated with humorous and insightful details in the pictures, which are spread across wide pages and introduce experts such as the creators of unique bridges. Strong back matter, in which Yazdani highlights the park's social and environmental roles, anchors this visually appealing, well-written, and all-around successful informational picture book, which celebrates that parks all across America "were made for you."

Horn Book

Yazdani tells the story of how New York City's iconic Central Park came to be, beginning with visionaries Calvert Vaux and Frederick Law Olmsted, then moving from the park's multi-stage construction to its completion in 1876. Throughout, the book is full of glorious green landscapes with happy people enjoying them. The watercolor and pencil pictures are nicely balanced with Yazdani's lively text, full of fascinating informational tidbits. Bib.

Kirkus Reviews

New Yorkers are still enjoying their very special place to walk, play ball, sail model boats, attend concerts, and so much more.In 1858, two visionary men entered a contest to design and build what remains today as a "vibrant jewel at the heart of New York City." That is, of course, Central Park, and it was the visionary work and attention to detail by Calvert Vaux and Frederick Law Olmsted that created what is still an oasis of green. Opening with a double-page spread depicting the 1857 eviction of the African-American residents of Seneca Village, Yazdani then traces the white designers' collaboration, plans, process, and success through an engaging text and a delightful series of digitized pencil-and-watercolor illustrations. The land was a "swampland," and with a great deal of digging and planting it was transformed into a delightful place to ice skate in the winter or boat in the summer. Backmatter provides additional information about the two men, and in a Q-and-A, the author fills in further facts about the elm trees, the arches, and the African-American community forced from its home. Sharp-eyed readers are invited to find and count gray squirrels. Also of note is a double-page spread depicting the many bridges and arches that have been constructed. The parkgoers, both in the 19th century and today, are a diverse group. For park lovers everywhere. (author's note, bibliography) (Informational picture book. 7-10)

Publishers Weekly (Fri Oct 06 00:00:00 CDT 2023)

Yazdani-s debut picture book depicts the birth, bustle, and beauty of New York City-s iconic Central Park. Vibrant watercolor illustrations full of period detail tell the park-s story, beginning with a design contest in 1958. Essential to the tale are architect Calvert Vaux and park superintendent (and famed landscape architect) Frederick Law Olmsted, who win the design competition with their idea for -a green gift to everyone.- The story-s initial pages show African-American families having to leave their homes to make way for the park; the loss of their community, known as Seneca Village, is one of several additional facts briefly mentioned in the back matter. The Lake, the Ramble, and the Children-s District are shown humming with the activity of wealthy-looking 19th-century parkgoers enjoying the amenities, as smaller vignettes focus on a few of the park-s aesthetic touches; in one double spread, the park-s many and varied bridges surround their designer. Watercolor scenes include a wide range of people enjoying the nascent park, and a final spread of diverse modern-day parkgoers reinforces Olmsted and Vaux-s idea for this egalitarian enclave. An author-s note and bibliography conclude. Ages 7-10. (Mar.)