A young raccoon who gets separated from her family one night and has to find her way home. One night, Lucy the raccoon follows her family out of their den, headed for the best garbage bins in town. Distracted by a jar of peanut butter, she gets separated from her family. How will she ever find her way back to her family and her cozy den? With the help of a friendly owl and his bird's-eye view, Lucy tunes into the world around her and navigates herself home! Reading this book with your children will help them develop their own spatial thinking skills―how we think about and understand the world around us and use concepts of space for problem solving. Early exposure to spatial concepts can help foster this type of cognitive development in children and boost their math and science learning as they progress through school. Included is a Note to Parents, Caregivers, and Professionals with more information about spatial concepts, as well as questions, games, and activities designed to encourage children's spatial thinking skills. "Highly recommended." -- Midwest Book Review Highly recommended. ― Midwest Book Review First-time author Dillemuth’s encouraging tone and Wood’s easygoing cartoons emphasize Lucy’s capability and independence, even in a frightening situation, and appended materials and activities invite readers to consider their own neighborhood surroundings. ― Publisher’s Weekly Did you know that the Activity Pages at the back of the book are available to download and print for free from the Magination Press website? Here is the direct link: apa.org/pubs/magination/441B170-activities.pdf A free Teacher's Guide with connections to Common Core is also available at the link above! Lucy in the City is about a young raccoon who gets separated from her family one night and has to find her way home. Faced with the challenge of being on her own, Lucy tunes in to her surroundings for the first time and discovers that she can re-trace her steps using smells, sights, and sounds. At its heart, the story focuses on developing spatial thinking, understanding the world around us, and using concepts of space for problem-solving. Includes a "Note to Parents and Caregivers." Julie Dillemuth has a PhD in geography and is the author of picture books that help children develop and practice spatial thinking skills, problem solving, and social-emotional skills. Laura Wood is an independent illustrator based in Milan. She is particularly drawn to children's illustration because it allows her to play with colors and characters in order to create the perfect world she would like to live in: sunny, safe, and fun.