Lifestyles - City Life, Language Arts - English Language, Fiction - General & Miscellaneous, Alphabet

The City ABC Book

Name: The City ABC Book
Author: Zoran Milich
ISBN: 9781550749489

by Zoran Milich

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Overview

Every large city is filled with sights and sounds and lots and lots of words. But have you ever looked at the city itself? At the shapes created by wood, concrete, metal and paint? A keen eye and a little inspiration are all it takes to discover a hidden alphabet among the architecture of a bustling metropolis. The City ABC Book features dramatic black-and-white photographs of urban landscapes with hidden letters boldly highlighted in red. Children will be inspired to take a second look at the world around them as their powers of observation are enhanced, and their imaginations are allowed to soar.

Synopsis

A fresh approach to the alphabet, with familiar urban scenes captured by Zoran Milich’s expert camera lens.

Children's Literature

For the observant and the imaginative, the letters of the alphabet can be found in everyday objects. The author takes the reader on a visual tour of his neighborhood where the letter E can be seen in a brick frame around a window, the letter V is hidden on a drain grate and the letter G is cleverly disguised within a clothesline pulley. Crisp black-and-white photos reveal the secret world of letters with an eye-catching red outlining the hidden letter. Similar in concept to Stephen Johnson's Alphabet City, this visual search for upper and lower case letters will have wide appeal among those who like an optical challenge. 2001, Kids Can Press, $15.95. Ages 5 to 9. Reviewer: Beverley Fahey

About the Author, Zoran Milich

Zoran Milich is an award-winning photojournalist. He lives in Toronto, Ontario.

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Editorials

The Horn Book Magazine

Zoran Milich has produced a photographic find-the-letter alphabet book ideal for this younger age group, which loves to find letter shapes in everyday objects.

Children's Literature

School Library Journal

PreS-Gr 1-This book shows, just as Stephen T. Johnson's photo-realist illustrations did for Alphabet City (Viking, 1995), that urban dwellers are surrounded by the letters of the alphabet. Here, Milich photographed letters that he found in everyday objects and architectural details. He was inspired by his fascination "with the way children see the world-and by his daily walks through his Toronto neighborhood." While Johnson's paintings are subtle in their revelations, Milich's letters are announced as bold red additions to black-and-white pictures. A few of them are full page, and most are bordered by a crisp white margin. Several are a mere 2 1/2" x 3 1/2", and this diminished size definitely impacts on the effectiveness of those entries. Quibbles aside, this is a useful addition to any collection of alphabet books and one that can be used to encourage closer viewing of everyday surroundings.-Alicia Eames, New York City Public Schools Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information.

Kirkus Reviews

Like Stephen T. Johnson's Alphabet City (1995), this invites young viewers to spot letters of the alphabet in the large and small structures commonly visible on city streets. The difference is that Johnson's illustrations are awesomely photorealistic paintings, while Milich's actually are photographs-drab black-and-white ones, with the letterforms highlighted in garish red. The letters are a random mix of upper- and lowercase, and some are dependent on the visual cue to be visible at all. The "F," for instance, uses two arms of a five-armed telephone pole, ductwork forming the "L" is really an upside down "T" with part of the cross-beam unpainted, and the "Q" is drawn over part of a bicycle lane symbol that, seen upside down, is a confusing tangle of painted lines. Still, as a playful way to stimulate any young child's powers of observation, the general premise is hard to beat; consider this as a viable but contrived second choice. (Picture book. 3-5)