Zohran Walks New York by Millie von Platen

Only in America would a Democratic Socialist candidate cause as much pearl-clutching as Zohran Mamdani managed to set off. Primary voters cast enthusiastic ballots for him, electing him the Democratic candidate in the race. Then came a tidal wave of misinformation and attacks. It felt as if the pushback came precisely because he was trying to be the first millennial, Muslim, Indian-American mayor of New York City.

But Zohran had built a powerful campaign. Volunteers knocked on over a million doors on his behalf. And he had done something else. He’d walked the five boroughs of the city, meeting voters and getting to know their lives and their concerns.

This is the element of Zohran Mamdani’s story that led to today’s delightful picture book, Zohran Walks New York by Millie von Platen (Calkins Creek).

I wanted Millie von Platen to talk to me about making this book, but truth to tell, I had trouble reaching her. In the end, with travel on the horizon and other projects to focus on, I ran out of time. So I thought I’d write about the book myself, because whatever the results of today’s New York mayoral election, this candidate’s story just makes me smile, and I’m really happy that someone decided to turn it into a picture book.

Zohran Walks New York is as much a love song to the city as it is a portrait of a man who decides to walk its streets to find out what matters to the people who live there. In all its details, down to the endpapers featuring the subway (complete with eccentric riders and a determined New York rat exploring the platform) the book projects the undeterred optimism of its subject. It also speaks clearly and directly to its intended audience. Here’s the opening line:

Zohran has walked the streets of New York ever since he was a child.

There. That’s all the introduction anyone needs. From that point on, we’re seeing the city through Zohran’s eyes. Look! He grabs a bite from a halal food stand. Is it biryani? He does seem to be eating with his hands, which is absolutely terrific because that, too caused all kinds of absurd reactions during his campaign. I want to know how on earth an illustrator can express emotion so deftly that a quick glance leaves no doubt that he’s eating something yummy.

The spreads are colourful and gain momentum with each page turn. A ride on the Staten Island ferry, a ball game at Citi Field, a dip in the icy waters off Coney Island, love on a subway ride—the energy of the city tires Zohran. When he rests on a bench, he has time to think and, importantly, to listen. Back matter pairs biographical information with spot art corresponding to the spreads in the book.

Zohran Walks New York is more than a cute read for kids, although it’s certainly that. It's more than a slice of one man's life. It's even, in some sense, more than an ode to the Big Apple. It offers a way to savour the delights of a place, a way to slow down and listen, a way to wrap your arms around a great, big city so you can make it your own. In following Zohran on his walk, this picture book with its many layers, manages to both honor and transcend the story of its subject.