Humans of New York is the very popular blog that spawned the book which shares the same name. They both feature photos of people in New York City doing various things and includes short descriptions of the people or fascinating conversations. The blog is difficult to turn away from. You could scroll down for ages and not get tired. Little Humans is an extension of HONY, but done exclusively with children.
The photos in Little Humans are all great and evoke the spirit and antics of children living in the city. There’s the little boy with the guitar, dressed up kids near the city park, kids playing roller hockey with dad and more. The photos are busy, fun and our kids like looking at them.
However, the name of the book and its subject matter are at odds. Rather, it’s what is not stated in the title of the book that might put some people off. The name of the book is Little Humans. All of the images look like they’re taken in New York City. If you’re expecting a book of children in various situations and backdrops then you’ll be disappointed.
Granted, it could be a safe bet that anyone who picks up Little Humans and knows the work of Brandon Stanton, author of Humans of New York and knows that it is just be kids in the city. If you live in the city or especially New York City you’ll immediately register with Little Humans and like it.
However, the more you look at Little Humans and compare it with his other book you’ll notice something else. All of the pictures, except for the ones above are the same size. It’s not too big of a deal, but compared with what I’ve seen from his earlier book it’s not as engaging. In Humans of New York- the book, the photos are all different sizes. There are far more pictures in that book than Little Humans, but the effect of mixing up the photo sizes helps tell the story, even in the absence of words.