Review: ‘Bolivar Eats New York: A Discovery Adventure’

Bolivar Eats New York: A Discovery Adventure
by Sean Rubin
Archaia, $14.99 (hardcover)
Ages 5-8 years

The followup to the impressive Bolivar, about a dinosaur living incognito in New York City, takes a different approach. Instead of a story, this is a puzzle picture book.

Sybil thinks Bolivar should eat something other than corned beef sandwiches, so she makes him come with her to visit representative New York food institutions, including a kosher deli, the Coney Island Boardwalk, a dim sum restaurant, an Italian bakery, and, of course, a pizza joint.

Each location is represented by a lovely two-page scene, a brief description of the kind of food found there, and images of five items to find in the picture. None of the locations are real; instead, they’re emblematic of the type of establishment. Bolivar Eats New York is a wonderful gastronomic journey that can be enjoyed over and over, all the more now when it’s not actually possible to visit and share the delicacies.