Author/illustrator Judith Caseley delivers another 'slice of life' story here, but rather than it being a story of a child's school life, or a family's home life, it is the life of a community that she explores. When Charlie is given a homework assignment to visit the places in his community and record what he finds, he and his mother take a walk around town, observing all the different places and workers that together make up their world. From librarians to police officers, firemen to diner waitresses, everyone has a role to play...

I really appreciated On the Town: A Community Adventure, even though there was nothing about it, from a textual or artistic standpoint, that particularly stood out to me. It offers a comforting and affirming vision of what community is, and shows that while everybody has a different job to do, together they all benefit from the efforts of other individuals, and of the whole. I particularly liked that Charlie himself, when he finds a lost wallet, does the honest and civic-minded thing, in turning it in to the police, as this shows young readers that they too have a part to play, in the wider community. Given the unrest here in the states right now, and the way in which violence is being condoned by many in the media and in positions of political power, it is easy to get discouraged, and to think our culture is being irretrievably damaged. Now more than ever, we need the vision of community put forward here, in which every person has a contribution to make to the welfare of the whole. Now more than ever, we need to be asking if our actions are contributing to that welfare, or harming it. I'd recommend this book to parents and educators looking to have healthy conversations with their children about the issue of community, civic-mindedness, and playing our part. ( )

Kindie Lesson: What is in My Neighborhood?
(1st) Lesson: What Do Communities Share?

communities, Nice for read aloud perhaps to introduce fairly typical descriptions of "neighborhoods" : grade 2, possibly 1st, great for 2nd grade communities (what is a community C1 : 3rd PFL

a boy writes and draws everything he sees in his community for a class assignment.

This book about a young boy is given a homework assignment to write and draw everything and everywhere he observes while he is out in the community. He creates beautiful pictures and writes exactly what he sees with the help of his mother. ( )

Charlie's homework was to study his community and find out what kinds of people make it up. So Charlie and his mom go exploring around town and visit people such as barbers, garbage collectors, policemen, librarians, postmen, pharmacists, firemen, waitresses, florists, and train conductors. He draws pictures of them all in his journal and writes down all of their names. Before Charlie goes to bed at night, he realizes that he forgot the most important part of his community- his home and his family! A great read for ages 3-6.
(Pierce College Fort Steilacoom library)