ABC Kids

PreS-Gr 1—Basher, best known for his "Science Made Easy" series (Kingfisher), tackles material for the youngest learners. The illustrations are done in the artist's trademark style, a meld of European graphic design and Japanese character creation. Each letter is given a full spread on a brightly colored, uncluttered background. The verso features the letter, both in upper- and lowercase, and a sentence in which each word begins with it. The sentences contain familiar words, as well as those that will enrich and extend a young child's vocabulary. For example, "Arthur's angry ant ate apples," "Iris is irritable in icy igloos." The recto highlights a single word and a picture of an object from the sentence. At the bottom of the page is an alphabet with the featured letter underlined. Even with the numerous alphabet books available, this one is a standout and deserves a place in most collections.—Grace Oliff, Ann Blanche Smith School, Hillsdale, NJ