Synopsis
A passport and rhyming text celebrate the author's adventures discovering differences as well as similarities, from "A" for the variety of animals that populate the planet to " ...
Marya Jansen-Gruber - Children's Literature
We are going to take a trip around the world; from the outback of Australia where kangaroos bound, to the top of Mount Everest; from a bakery in Brighton in England to The Great Wall of China. This book will take you on an incredible journey, each double-page spread representing a letter of the alphabet and a word. For example the letter A is for Animals. The author gives us two descriptive paragraphs of writing about animals in general, and a beautifully written paragraph of rhyming poetry about some of the world's animal species. The words are set off by an illustration showing animals from different parts of the world. The letter R is for Railway and we are shown a beautiful illustration of an old fashioned steam train. The author gives us all sorts of interesting information about railways in different parts of the world. We are told, for example, that the "world's longest train route is the Trans Siberian Railway." This is the kind of book that would appeal to a child who has a love for facts and figures, who loves to know about far away places. Many children love to collect facts, to squirrel them away so that they can pull them out and air them for friends and family. The book covers such a wide area of topics that there is sure to be something to appeal to everyone. It can teach so much without giving the impression of teaching at all. It is a truly inspired book and a lovely one to look at as well. The publishers of this book have released a series of alphabet books about a number of topics. Among them are: A is for America: An American Alphabet; M is for Maple: A Canadian Alphabet; K is for Kick: A Soccer Alphabet; B is for Buckaroo: A Cowboy Alphabet; V is for Viking: AMinnesota Alphabet. 2003, Sleeping Bear Press, Ages 6 to 9.
Editorials
Children's Literature
We are going to take a trip around the world; from the outback of Australia where kangaroos bound, to the top of Mount Everest; from a bakery in Brighton in England to The Great Wall of China. This book will take you on an incredible journey, each double-page spread representing a letter of the alphabet and a word. For example the letter A is for Animals. The author gives us two descriptive paragraphs of writing about animals in general, and a beautifully written paragraph of rhyming poetry about some of the world's animal species. The words are set off by an illustration showing animals from different parts of the world. The letter R is for Railway and we are shown a beautiful illustration of an old fashioned steam train. The author gives us all sorts of interesting information about railways in different parts of the world. We are told, for example, that the "world's longest train route is the Trans Siberian Railway." This is the kind of book that would appeal to a child who has a love for facts and figures, who loves to know about far away places. Many children love to collect facts, to squirrel them away so that they can pull them out and air them for friends and family. The book covers such a wide area of topics that there is sure to be something to appeal to everyone. It can teach so much without giving the impression of teaching at all. It is a truly inspired book and a lovely one to look at as well. The publishers of this book have released a series of alphabet books about a number of topics. Among them are: A is for America: An American Alphabet; M is for Maple: A Canadian Alphabet; K is for Kick: A Soccer Alphabet; B is for Buckaroo: A Cowboy Alphabet; V is for Viking: AMinnesota Alphabet. 2003, Sleeping Bear Press, Ages 6 to 9.— Marya Jansen-Gruber