The Inside-Outside Book of Paris

A watercolor tribute to the City of Light introduces readers to the Arc de Triomphe, the Champs-Elyse+a7es, the Centre Georges Pompidou, and other breathtaking sights that surround the Seine River in Paris.

PreS Up-- A bright, colorful addition to Munro's inside-outside treatment of major cities. Once again, she takes famous and not-so-famous buildings, monuments, cathedrals, museums, shops, streets, and transportation systems and gives them a unique twist. Her pictures look not only in and out, but also up and down, fore and aft, front and back, away and closeup. Two not-so-obvious scenes follow the same person from one (outdoor) bookshop to another (indoor), from the market stalls to home with a basket of goodies. Paris is more balanced than the artist's other titles, showing segments of ordinary city life (an art student at school, a cafe, a patisserie). The big tourist spots aren't neglected, however; the Eiffel Tower, Notre-Dame Cathedral, Musee d'Orsay, Jardin des Tuileries, L'Arc de Triomphe, Pompidou Center (with a view of Montmartre), Metro (at the Louvre and Bastille), and a puppet theater are all included. Lovers of Paris might quibble about what is missing, but obviously a book of this type can't cover everyone's favorites. A big plus here is having the text with the illustrations rather than at the end (as it is in the earlier books), saving a lot of flipping back and forth. --Ann W. Moore, formerly at Lane Road Library, Columbus, OH
Copyright 1992 Reed Business Information, Inc.

In the style of Munro's earlier pictorial tours (e.g., The Inside-Outside Book of New York City, 1985), a sampling of the sights of Paris, grand and small, in pairs of contrasting vantage points or other scenes related by the concepts of ``in'' and ``out.'' Explanatory notes are now adjacent to the evocative illustrations, forfeiting the dramatically expansive wordless double spreads in the earlier books but making the whole more coherent and useful. The choices for inclusion here are a felicitous mix of the obvious (the Tour Eiffel seen from a dramatically low perspective and a panorama glimpsed through a network of its girders, high above the city) and the unexpected (a puppet show seen from the audience and from behind the puppeteer); the old and the new (a striking rendition of the extraordinary Centre Pompidou); and child-pleasers (a delectable array of pastries). The more innovative pairs include the book- crammed Shakespeare and Company store and the bookstalls along the Seine, and the Luxembourg Gardens with its carousel. A lovely tribute, especially notable for the artist's lucid style and creative compositions. (Nonfiction/Picture book. 4+) -- Copyright ©1991, Kirkus Associates, LP. All rights reserved.