The Lonely Phone Booth

A sad, forgotten, New York City phone booth becomes a hero in this story of community and caring for others.

The Phone Booth on the corner of West End Avenue and 100th Street was one of the last remaining phone booths in New York City. Everyone used it―from ballerinas and birthday clowns, to cellists and even secret agents. Kept clean and polished, the Phone Booth was proud and happy until, the day a businessman strode by and shouted into a shiny silver object, “I’ll be there in ten minutes.” Soon everyone was talking into these shiny silver things, and the Phone Booth stood alone and empty, unused and dejected.

How the Phone Booth saved the day and united the neighborhood to rally around its revival is the heart of this touching story. The Lonely Phone Booth has a lot to say about the enduring power of the faithful things in our lives. For children, it’s a wonderful way to talk about their own communities.

“A story celebrating the fabric of a neighborhood.” ―New York Times Book Review

“Evoking the same kind of New York charm as favorites like The Little Red Lighthouse and the Great Gray Bridge and The House on East 88th Street, screenwriter Ackerman celebrates a humble phone booth (still standing at 100th Street and West End Avenue) that saves the Upper West Side—and vice versa . . . . Cultural history of the best sort.” —Publishers Weekly

“The art not only tells a splendid story in and of itself, but it also celebrates the colorful and diverse people who live in New York City.” —Through the Looking Glass Children’s Book Review