The Lonely Phone Booth Book

The phone booth at the corner of 100th Street and West End Avenue provided a valuable service for many members of the local community, giving people a means of contacting employers, suppliers and loved ones. It even provided the secret agent a place to change his disguises. But then one day people started speaking into shiny objects they carried around, and it seemed that no one needed the phone booth anymore. Would it be carted away? Or would it still serve a purpose...?

This debut picture-book from screenwriter and playwright Peter Ackerman and illustrator Max Dalton, who subsequently collaborated on The Lonely Typewriter , presents an engaging, kid-friendly story, one which highlights themes such as the progression of technology over time, and the role of icons and landmarks, in the emotional life of a community. I enjoyed the story, appreciated the New York City setting, and found the colorful, stylized artwork appealing. I do wish that the author had included an afterword giving more information, as this is apparently based on a true story, but leaving that aside, The Lonely Phone Booth is one that I would recommend to those looking for children's stories that explore means of communication, or the emotional attachment people form to icons and beloved objects, as well as to anyone searching for picture-books set in New York City.