Alphabet Garden

School Library Journal

PreS-K-- ``Walk under the a rbor, into the garden./ Listen to the buzzing b ees,/and pick a bright c arnation.'' So begins the alphabet adventure of a blond boy and his cat as they spend the day at work and play, taking notice of the flowers, insects, and other creatures around them. The flat, cheerful pencil and watercolor illustrations portray a pristine garden enclosed by a white wooden fence; not a dead blossom is in sight, and even the dirt from the gopher's hole is piled tidily on an otherwise perfectly green lawn. For an alphabet book with more zip and zest, try Anita Lobel's Alison's Zinnia (Greenwillow, 1990). --Carolyn Jenks, First Parish Unitarian Church, Portland, ME