A Nickel, A Trolley, A Treasure House

by Sharon Reiss Baker
illustrated by Beth Peck
Viking, 2007
ISBN 978-0670059829

For this book I was looking photographs of old New York in the early 1900's. Seeing these old photographs shows me what people were wearing, the look of a horse and buggy, or a trolley car and I so enjoy entering into this world I really love photography, so getting to look at all these old photos is inspiring. The invention of photography introduces us to a world that we might never have been able to see. And, I for one, love to see these vanished worlds. I am also moved by the photography of today. The ability to capture a moment. And, this was the first time I tried using acrylics to illustrate a book. ~Beth
Book cover: A Nickel, A Trolley, A Treasure House.

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Growing up on the Lower East Side, Lionel knows only a tiny tenement apartment and a few crowded streets. He scribbles drawings on every available scrap of paper but doesn’t think much of them—until he takes a momentous streetcar journey to the Metropolitan Museum of Art. There, he finds that the world is a wider and more exciting place than he could have imagined. With gentle humor and fondness, Sharon Reiss Baker tells a story based on her own family history. Evocative paintings by Beth Peck help capture both the safe familiarity of home and the glorious liberation of discovering the world beyond it.

An Association of Jewish Libraries Notable Book for Younger Readers