The ABCs of ABCs A look at 26 of the most innovative alphabet books around
By Steven Engelfried -- School Library Journal, 1/1/2001
The 1998 edition of A to Zoo (Bowker) lists over 300 titles under the heading "'ABC Books."' My own library's picture-book collection contains over 250. Even with so many alphabet books in existence, authors and artists keep striving to create new ways of making that simple journey from A to Z. The following dynamic creators have come up with ways to surprise, engage, and instruct, with new twists that expand the original concept to enhance youngsters' love of language and sharpen their powers of deduction and observation.
BASE,
Graeme. Animalia. illus. by author. Abrams. 1987.Gorgeous and intricately detailed paintings feature an alphabet of animals and much more. Each page contains dozens of objects beginning with the same letter. A dazzling spread shows "'L for Lazy Lions Lounging in the Local Library."'
BROWN,
Ruth. Alphabet Times Four: An International ABC. illus. by author. Dutton. 1991; o.p.A multilingual effort with a word for each letter in English, Spanish, French, and German, along with phonetic pronunciations.
CUSHMAN,
Doug. The ABC Mystery. illus. by author. HarperCollins. 1996.An alphabet framework leads readers through a lively story concerning stolen Art, a suspicious Butler, and a footprint Clue, all put together by Detective Inspector McGroom.
ELTING,
Mary & Michael Folsom. Q Is for Duck. illus. by Jack Kent. Clarion. 1980; o.p.A guessing game that's just right for kids who have already mastered the alphabet and its sounds and are clever enough to make the leap from Duck to Quack or from "'E"' to Whale (because whales are enormous).
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...dynamic creators have come up with ways to surprise, engage, and instruct, with new twists that expand the original concept... |
HOBAN,
Tana. A B See! photos. by author. Greenwillow. 1982; o.p.Photograms depict a series of several objects for each letter in striking white silhouette against a black background. Some pages feature several items, ranging from the obvious (banana) to the more challenging (acorn).
HORENSTEIN,
Henry. A Is for…?: A Photographer's Alphabet of Animals . photos. by author. Harcourt. 1999.In this delightfully challenging animal guessing game, 26 striking tinted black-and-white photos show carefully selected parts of each animal. Elephant's foot and Horse's eye are fairly easy. Vulture's talon and Quail's feathers are more challenging.
HUNT,
Jonathan. Bestiary: An Illuminated Alphabet of Medieval Beasts. illus. by author. S & S. 1998.
Vivid paintings of such mythical beasts as Firedrake, Wyvern, and Kraken
leap off the pages. Each one is accompanied
by short descriptions of the myths behind the creatures.
JOHNSON,
Stephen. Alphabet City. illus. by author. Viking. 1995.Urban scenes reveal letter shapes in unexpected places, from water tanks to lampposts. "'E"' shows up in the side view of a stoplight, while "'T"' is found in the patch of sky showing between several skyscrapers. Johnson's beautiful paintings resemble photographs in their realism.
JONAS,
Ann. Aardvarks Disembark. illus. by author. Greenwillow. 1990.This book takes the animal alphabet to new heights, depicting unusual species in reverse alphabetical order. The paintings of animal pairs are vivid, realistic, and neatly framed within the story of "'Noah's Ark."'
KITAMURA,
Satoshi. What's Inside?: The Alphabet Book.illus. by author. Farrar. 1985.
This clever guessing game challenges readers to guess two letters at once, based on visual clues. The "'e"' and "'f"' page, for example, shows big round footprints alongside some tire tracks. The next spread reveals what made them (Elephant and Fire Engine) and also gives pictorial clues for the next two letters.
KITCHEN,
Bert. Animal Alphabet. illus. by author. Dial. 1984.Elegant, yet simple design concepts make this a standout among other animal alphabets. Beautiful and realistic creatures interact physically in some way with the solid black letters on each white page.
LOBEL,
Anita. Alison's Zinnia. illus. by author. Greenwillow. 1990.This clever look at friendship and flora is highlighted by brilliant watercolors of 26 flowers. Lobel takes on the triple challenge of finding a flower, a girl's name, and a verb for each letter, as in "'Tina tended a Tulip for Ursula."'
LOBEL,
Arnold. On Market Street. illus. by Anita Lobel. Greenwillow. 1981.Imaginative paintings that offer variety and surprise throughout depict 26 shopkeepers, all of whom appear to embody the wares they offer. The toy seller, for instance, has a toy-shelf body, wooden-car feet, and puppets (Frog and Toad) for hands.
MACDONALD,
Suse. Alphabatics. illus. by author. Bradbury. 1986.Square panels show each letter gradually transforming into an object that begins with that same letter. Readers watch as the block letter "'E"' tilts, enlarges, and finally changes into an elephant.
MARTIN,
Bill Jr. & John Archambault. Chicka Chicka Boom Boom. illus. by Lois Ehlert. S & S. 1989.A text full of rhythm, humorous moments ("'black-eyed P"' and "'loose-tooth T"'), and an irresistible refrain come to life with Ehlert's bold and dynamic illustrations.
MICKLETHWAIT,
Lucy. I Spy: An Alphabet in Art. reprods. Greenwillow. 1992.Combining great paintings with the game of "'I Spy"' in an alphabet framework actually works in this inventive introduction to a variety of magnificent masterpieces.
NEUMEIER,
Marty & Byron Glaser. Action Alphabet. illus. by authors. Greenwillow. 1985; o.p.Precise black-and-white drawings integrate each letter into the word it represents. "'A"' teeters on a high wire like an Acrobat, while "'H"' Hangs from two clothespins on a line, and "'G"' is opposite a blank white page (for Gone).
OBLIGADO,
Lilian. Faint Frogs Feeling Feverish & Other Terrifically Tantalizing Tongue Twisters. illus. by author. Viking. 1983; o.p.
This collection of alliterative animal
antics ranges from simple ("'Llama laughing"') to truly tongue tangling
("'Cheerful-
ly chattering Chipmunks choosing chocolate chip cookies"').
PELLETIER,
David. The Graphic Alphabet. illus. by author. Orchard. 1996.Computer-generated images integrate letters into the words that they begin in a dazzling variety of ways. Two small white "'v"' triangles cut out of the top of a black square are somehow just enough to suggest vampire fangs.
RANKIN,
Laura. The Handmade Alphabet. illus. by author. Dial. 1991.Pleasing colored-pencil illustrations depict each letter of the manual alphabet in American Sign Language. Along with clearly demonstrating each sign, the pictured hands all interact with the noun that corresponds to the letter.
ROTNER,
Shelley. Action Alphabet. photos. by author.S & S/Atheneum. 1996.
Full-color photographs capture the irrepressible energy of kids in motion. The intensity of Kicking, the grace of Diving, and the pure joy of Giggling, Leaping, and Swinging all come through in these vivid pictures.
SHANNON,
George. Tomorrow's Alphabet. illus. byDonald Crews. Greenwillow. 1995.
In this fun and challenging exercise in imagination, young readers must figure out why "'A"' is for Seed (it is "'tomorrow's Apple"'). Easy ones ("'D"' is for Puppy) mix with trickier examples ("'E"' is for campfire…tomorrow's Embers).
STEIG,
Jeanne. Alpha Beta Chowder. illus. by William Steig. HarperCollins. 1992.Steig offers an alliterative rhyming poem for each letter of the alphabet. Clever wordplay, elaborate vocabulary, and humorous drawings add to the fun.
VAN ALLSBURG,
Chris. The Z Was Zapped. illus. byauthor. Clarion. 1987.
From the Avalanche that rains down on "'A"' to the "'Z's"' final Zapping, most of the alphabet characters meet a sad and darkly humorous fate onstage. Illustrations are shown first, then a turn of the page reveals the caption, making this a challenging guessing game as well.
VIORST,
Judith. The Alphabet from Z to A (With Much Confusion on the Way). illus. by Richard Hull. Atheneum. 1994.
This poem with playfully zany art travels
backward through the alphabet, asking questions that have perplexed many
frustrated spellers: "'Y is for YEW and for YOU,/But it isn't for
USING."' And "'I is for I/(But not EYE)/And for ISLE/
(But not AISLE)."'
WILBUR,
Richard. The Disappearing Alphabet. illus. by David Diaz. Harcourt. 1998.
Marvelously clever poems reveal what the
world would
be like if each letter were missing. "'Lacking the letter y, I guess/We'd have
no way of saying YES,/Or even saying MAYBE, and so/There'd be no answer
left but No."'
Steven Engelfried is young adult librarian at the Deschutes Public Library in Bend, OR.
