L' Alphabet

Children's Literature

In this appealing book, each letter is illustrated with a humorous image. The text features words starting with the designated letter. "Two acrobats juggle apricots on an airplane." The images are goofy enough to be instantly engaging, such as a dinosaur dancing with a dolphin or a giraffe playing golf. There are surprises hidden for those who look carefully. This is appropriate for the youngest children learning their letters, as well as first readers. The book is part of the "Smart Start" series. 2001, Gareth Stevens, $19.93. Ages 2 to 6. Reviewer: Kristin Harris

School Library Journal

PreS-K-Each page of Alphabet has a large, whimsical, pastel illustration and a sentence with alliterative words that demonstrate the sound of a single letter, except for V and W, which appear together on one page, as do X, Y, and Z. The sentence, which is on the bottom of the page, is in large type, with words to be emphasized printed in bold, for example, "A fawn and its friends eat fruit in the forest." The letter is featured in a boxed area in upper- and lowercase forms. Numbers devotes a spread to each integer from 1 to 10. The left-hand page has a large illustration and a sentence with the number in boldface type. On the right-hand page there are two boxed areas, one with the number in numerical form and the other with an illustration using a particular shape. For example, "Nine suitcases are stacked on the train for a trip to Maine." The number nine and a box containing nine pyramids are on the facing page, with an illustration of a bear pushing nine suitcases stacked on a dolly. Given the number of books available on these concepts, these titles are strictly additional.-Maren Ostergard, Bellevue Regional Library, WA Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information.