Beginning a study of literary sense of place with books about New York City makes sense because both children and adults are likely to be familiar with the city through movies, television, and advertisements, even if they have never been there. By paying close attention to the ways in which authors and illustrators convey a sense of place in these books, children may be inspired to investigate other places, especially the places they love, through research, writing, and artistic expression. Picture books are especially appropriate for exploring sense of place. They can be shared effectively with a wide range of students, and an entire class can build mutual understandings through read-alouds. In this article, the author discusses picture books from her own New York collection and offers suggestions for responses invited by each book related both to developing understandings about New York, specifically, and a sense of place in general. She also encourages teachers to guide students in compiling their own lists of how visual and verbal texts work together to create a sense of place as they study picture books about New York City.