A New York Public Library Summer Reading Pick, 2021
October 2020 selection by Young People’s Poet Laureate, Naomi Shihab Nye. Poetry Foundation link here.
BookPage 2019 Feature. Understanding Photography: Tips for Teachers.
A JUNIOR LIBRARY GUILD FALL 2018 SELECTION
2018 Fabulous Photography Books for Kids Selection (School Library Journal, link here)
Book Q and A with Deborah Kalb
Starred review, Youth Services Book Review
Kid photography tips with Baby Meets City
New Book Announcement!
This Is My Eye: A New York Story
It's not what you look at, it's what you see.
This Is My Eye is a picture book with Candlewick Press. Photos and text by Neela Vaswani.
Take a journey through New York City: shapes, colors, patterns, and people are everywhere—and things look different depending on who is doing the looking.
In this playful, poetic ode to photography and point of view, one young girl captures moments of insight and community in her beloved hometown. This fictional exploration will delight kids and parents in today’s world of images and bold self-expression.
“The minute I saw this book I absolutely had to read it…Vaswani goes whole hog on the urban experience. We adults sometimes forget how the world looks through the eyes of a kid. This book manages to capture that feeling. I’ve rarely encountered a book that put me back in the shoes of a nine-year-old so perfectly. Some of the most stunning photographs of the year are right here. Don’t miss it.” -School Library Journal (Elizabeth Bird)
“Here is a joyous visual feast, a sparky wake-up call for all fledgling poets! Give this big, wide gorgeously-produced book to every kid you know who gets down low to look at things. Though the “main character” in the story is around 9, this delicious book feels right for any age. It also feels perfect for times of isolation. How do we perceive the world? How easy is it to find something glorious, odd, amazing, maybe right next to us?” -Naomi Shihab Nye, Young People’s Poet Laureate
"The city’s sweeping landscapes juxtaposed with its small, pulsating minutiae pick up an easy momentum as the poetic text moves rhythmically from page to page…Vaswani’s debut picture book is an elegant and playful look at perspective, photography, and a familiar (to many) cityscape. A captivating journey." -Kirkus Review
"Kids everywhere will find this a vibrant window to the world that will encourage them to look again." -Center for Children's Books
"[A} visual feast. The simple narrative makes this accessible to youngsters in preschool, but the sophisticated ideas it illustrates could extend its readership up through the elementary grades and even into middle school picture book collections. It could be used as an intro to photography and/or a demonstration of point of view and perspective. Many of the photos could easily serve as writing prompts." Youth Services Book Review (starred review)
“The perfect gateway for classroom photography projects." BookPage (feature)
If interested in coordinating a school or library visit, contact Candlewick Press at appearances@candlewick.com
