In Lauren Paige Conrad’s new picture book This Is Our City (a continuation of the ode to creativity at the heart of This Is a Window), kids work together to transform an ordinary backyard into a thriving metropolis and keep an eye out for their elusive mayor. Kirkus Reviews calls it “a winsome foray into a world of pure imagination.” Check out this Q&A to learn more about Lauren’s inspirations and process!

What drew you to explore a cityscape in this book?

The idea of kids constructing their own city felt like a natural growth from the independent and quick-change play of This Is A Window. Establishing “Cat Pine Falls” is not only a collaborative effort, it’s this realization of permanence that kids gain. Of course their city is in constant evolution, businesses are built then changed, kids take on different roles, everything is flexible to become something (else), and there is always opportunity for newness. But the city itself is established. And it’s a place that the kds can come back to time and time again to explore their imaginations together. 

How did you go about constructing the city in the story? Were there any components you knew you had to include, or ones you considered but ultimately left out?

Part of my sole motivation for making this book was an excuse to showcase a cafe that sold ice cream. As a parent, I was constantly being “fed” pretend ice cream by my son and his friends, having to barter with mulch chips or pine cones. Sometimes those scoops got so expensive! And as far as what I left out, the original manuscript had the word “king” in it, but I decided to change it to “mayor” because that felt like a more appropriate structure for a kid-run city. Plus it sets up a very fun hide-and-seek game throughout the book, where readers have to figure out who the mayor is and spot her hiding amongst most of the pages. (Tip: The copyright page gives readers a very conclusive and sweet affirmation of who the mayor is.)

In This Is Our City, neighbors work together to build and care for a community. What are some ways readers can be good neighbors?

At the heart of this book is inclusion and welcoming, as the last page (spoiler alert) shows us. I think pretend or imaginative play is such a good bridge for new friendships because it lends itself to an openness. It allows kids to go on this imaginative journey together, where they can collaborate on an idea or build something new together. It’s a beautiful way to learn and grow into a good neighbor with a strong, open community mindset. 

You use collage—where different materials come together to make a cohesive whole—to illustrate this tale of kids creating their own world. How did you think about material and story working in conjunction here?

I love collage because of the fluidity of moving parts, which is very much succinct with how the kids built Cat Pine Falls. They have moving parts (like logs, wood boards, rocks, and sticks) that they move around to create different businesses or spaces. So as I was making the art I very much felt like I was helping them build rooms by moving my paper stones around, or by setting my 2D sticks up for their fairy hotel. I did use a real toilet paper roll to create their ice cream cones though! 

This Is Our City feels, in some ways, like a continuation of your previous title This is a Window, where kids band together to imagine a land of make-believe. Are there any spaces or worlds you’re interested in exploring next?

Yes, absolutely. I feel like we are stair-stepping here as the kids grow. So the next “step” to explore is a kid-created game (enter This Is Our Game). Not only is it imaginative (like This Is A Window) and collaborative (like This Is Our City), but it is also cooperative. It takes everyone involved to establish (and follow) a set of rules to meet a cohesive goal. The rules are wacky and nonsense, but they’ve been agreed upon, all in the name of playing a game. Being able to self-organize like that is a beautiful developmental growth to see in kids. And as a parent, nothing makes me happier than when my now-fourth-grader comes home giddy to talk about how his entire grade came together at recess to play a new game that they made up. I can never quite follow the long list of rules, but kids can. And that’s the magic of it. 

This Is Our City releases in hardcover on April 29, 2025.

Download free resources for This Is Our City below!

And read on to learn more about This Is Our City and Lauren Paige Conrad:

In this companion to This Is a Window, the power of children’s imaginations returns to center stage—this time in a shared backyard, where kids run a make-believe city full of hustle and bustle.

This Is Our City

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Welcome to Cat Pine Falls, a charming make-believe city made by kids, in their shared backyard! Here, pinecones are currency, the trees are tall skyscrapers for business up high, and a handy kid-run subway line zips between all the unmissable action. Young listeners will delight in eureka moments sparked by the delightfully imaginative pairing of words and pictures: the “carwash” is really a willow tree, the “café” is really an overturned kiddie pool, and more. As they follow along, kids will love being on the lookout for the Mayor of Cat Pine Falls— a cat! —who is expertly hidden on every spread of gorgeous, collage-style art. 

With satisfying rhymes that make for a sweet read-aloud, here’s a story that will delight kids, creative-minded parents, and childcare professionals alike, encouraging kids to create community through a shared imaginative playtime.

Lauren Paige Conrad is a self-taught illustrator based in Asheville, NC. She received a BS in textiles from the University of Georgia in 2008 before going on to study fashion design at FIDM San Francisco. After working in product development and with small-scale textile studios, Lauren turned to illustration in 2016. She works in cut paper, gouache, colored pencil, and Neocolor crayon. Lauren is the illustrator of Your One and Only Heart, written by Rajani LaRocca, which was published in 2023, as well as the author and illustrator of This Is a Window (2024).