Groundbreaking New Book Targets Teens' Right To Public Space vs. Limits on Public Behavior

CHAPPAQUA, N.Y., March 16 /PRNewswire/ -- Teens love to hang out.  But where and when they hang out is often the subject of controversy.  Watch This Space: Designing, Defending and Sharing Public Spaces (Kids Can Press) is a groundbreaking book that uses a fun, visually exciting approach to help kids ages 10-14 understand what public space is and why it's important in their lives.  It explores questions that arise when people share public space — such as how to balance privacy and security — and looks at limits on public behaviors like skateboarding, graffiti, and political protests.  Written by an award-winning author, Watch This Space shows young readers why public space is an interesting and exciting part of the real world.  

As our population grows, there are increasing demands on public space, and kids have the most to lose.  Watch This Space helps them understand why creating, preserving, and protecting parks, playgrounds, and other public spaces benefits everyone.  Packed with information from around the world, this innovative, fully-illustrated book challenges kids to become active citizens.

Watch This Space puts society's core issues — such as social justice, community building, and the environment — into a global context.  Meanwhile, stories about everything from homeless teens to sexual harassment emphasize the local aspect.  The book examines differences between public and private space, using examples ranging from the Roman Forum to the Internet.  

"Watch This Space is a great resource for both teens and adults," says Janette Sadik-Khan, Commissioner of the New York City Department of Transportation, "because it looks at and asks hard questions about what it truly means for something to be public space."

Watch This Space takes a creative approach to topics including urban green space, conflicts over public art, and selling public space to advertisers.  Colorful digital illustrations, inspired by architectural concept drawings, are crossed with a playful graphic-novel style.  Teachers will appreciate the notes, glossary, and index, and the tie-in to Social Studies and Human Geography curricula.

Author Hadley Dyer writes both fiction and nonfiction.  She is a former children's book editor, bookseller, publicist, reviewer, and library coordinator, and past president of IBBY Canada.  Illustrator and comics creator Marc Ngui visited public spaces around the globe while illustrating Watch This Space.

SOURCE Kids Can Press