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Images from Janell Cannon's |
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Alphabet BooksAGE GUIDES: these are approximate recommendations:
* denotes San Diego writer and/or illustrator
Chester, Jonathan. A for Antarctica. Berkeley CA: Tricycle Press, 1995. ISBN 1-833672-73-2. $8.95.The author/photographer is a renowned Antarctic explorer who here presents his knowledge, pictures, and Antarctic facts for the first time in a children’s format. The book is striking; facts and photos combine to provide a look at an unknown world, one of great beauty gorgeously photographed. Fascinating information on Antarctic things ranges from A-Z. Thermal underwear to tents to sea birds, icicles, and explorers’ equipment, this is a remarkable look at a continent most of us will never see first hand. By publishing this book for children, Chester may well inspire future explorers and environmentalists. A. Allison Johnson, Stephen T. A Is for Art: An Abstract Alphabet. New York: Simon and Schuster, 2008. $16.99. Ages 5-9. ISBN 0-689-86301-2.An introduction to art as well as an alliterative, poetic alphabet, Johnson’s books invites its readers to play with his paintings/collages by finding objects in the art that begin with the relevant letter. One has to look closely, and therefore comes to appreciate the very creative use of both objects and language. One page’s text will direct the reader to look for letters in other pages, making this a mystery Seek-and-Find as well as an alphabet, an appreciation to abstract art, and a lot of fun. A. Allison Mayer, Bill. All Aboard. New York: Simon and Schuster, 2008. ISBN 0-689-85249-5. $17.99Done in a visually stunning style based on old-time travel posters into which the letters themselves are creatively part of the illustration, Mayer’s is a book for all ages; adults will notice and can point to aspects and perspectives young children might not see. Each page is a work of art lending itself to mutual enjoyment as readers take in the colors, the use of shadow, and the unique layouts. One example is the page for G, Gondola, which, like many other illustrations, shows a part of the vehicle or action and lets the imagination play with the perspective and setting. In the crowded market of alphabet books, this is a real stand-out. A. Allison Robb, Don. Ox, House, Stick: The History of Our Alphabet. Illus. Anne Smith. Watertown: MA: Charlesbridge, 2007. $7.95. Junior Library Guild Selection. ISBN 1-57091-610-6.This intriguing and lively history of language and alphabets starts with Sumerian pictograms and takes the reader on a journey with “Caravans, commerce, and conquest” to explain the spread of what turned into the Roman system of writing. Facts include that the Semitic name for “Ox,” “aleph,” became “A,” that we really have no way of knowing how these sounds were pronounced, and that the Greeks were the first to use “letter names that had no other meaning.” The order of letters in the alphabet hasn’t changed much “since Phoenician times,” but vowels in some languages are consonants in others. English has 26 letters but over 40 sounds—no wonder second-language learners struggle with English! The very well laid-out pages include lots of illustrations and inset information in pleasing colors, printing technology from Gutenberg to contemporary automated presses is discussed, and additional resources are listed at the book’s end. In addition to an alphabet history, there’s a lot of geography here too, making this an instructive as well as an enjoyable read. A. Allison Shoulders, Michael. The ABC Book of American Homes. Illus. Sarah S. Brannen. Watertown:MA: Charlesbridge, 2008. $7.95. ISBN 1-57091-566-6. Charlesbridge Publishers is the King of alphabets; they succeed
each year in publishing illuminating, informative, and appealing
uses of the alphabet for their many books. As much a sampler of
American history and abodes, The ABC Book of American Homes covers
a lot of architecture, from “Cajun Cottages” to “Mobile
Homes, “Recreational Vehicles,” and “Yurts.” A. Allison |
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