A new book for children co-written by a former city Chief Information Officer (CIO) (Jonathan Reichental) aims to inspire the next generation of active citizens and civic leaders. Reichental, who was formerly the CIO for the City of Palo Alto before going on to teach and write the Smart Cities for Dummies book, said he hadn’t previously considered writing for children but when Brett Hoffstadt, the co-author of the book got in touch, “it immediately made sense.”
“This is a real opportunity to get in front of kids early in their lives, to expose them to things like solutions for the environment, for energy and waste management, and to talk about things like the limited supply of water,” Reichental said.
The authors worked with teachers in the US and Europe to get feedback and tailor the book to meet their curriculum needs.
As well as covering technology, the authors also emphasise the human side, with a cast of international characters to guide children through the book, a focus on people and a look at jobs. There’s even an activity to provide an insight into some of the decisions that mayors need to balance.
While the main purpose of the book is to spark children’s imaginations about better cities, Reichental said: “Maybe there is a mayor or city manager who says 25 years from now: ‘I was very inspired by a kids’ book on the future of cities’. That would be such an incredible outcome.”
