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Azarian, Mary. A Gardener's Alphabet. 2000. 32p. Houghton Mifflin. All ages. Caldecott winning Mary Azarian creates such beautiful and intricately detailed woodcuts and this alphabet book is another treat for the eyes. Azarian opens the book with a forward about the role gardens have played in her life since she was a child. When you read this book you will have no problems seeing the intimacy Azarian shares with gardens.
de Vicq de Cumptich, Roberto. Bembo's Zoo: An Animal ABC Book. 2000. 32p. Henry Holt. All ages. Wow! This book is sure to spur a few creative ideas for doodlers. Can you imagine an alphabet book with animals all made out of letters of the alphabet? You have to see this book to appreciate the ingenious work of Roberto de Vicq de Cumptich, the Magnificent Zoo Keeper.
Hausman, Bonnie. A to Z Do You Ever Feel Like Me? A Guessing Alphabet. Photographs by Sandi Fellman. 1999. 48p. Dutton. Pre K-3. Children will have great fun guessing the feeling associated with each letter of the alphabet. A fill in the blank text and great photos provide plenty of context. This book would be a great one to act out, rewrite, and use for expanding vocabulary.
Horenstein, Henry. Arf! Beg! Catch! Dogs From A to Z. 1999. 32p. Scholastic. All ages. You can't help but love these canines of every size and color. All the silly and natural antics they do that depict a word in the alphabet will bring a smile to your face.
Lester, Mike. A is for Salad. 2000. 24p. Putnam & Grosset. Gr. K-2. This clever alphabet book at first glance will have you scratching your head at the mismatch of words with the letter of the alphabet. Or is it a mismatch? Look closer at the pictures for clues that reveal the answer. Kids will have great fun with this book. A great one for reading to their parents.
Most, Bernard. ABC T-Rex. 2000. 32p. Harcourt. Pre K-2. What happens when T-Rex is hungry? He eats of course, all the way through the alphabet. Bernard Most loves dinosaurs and this ABC book adds to the other 10 he has written.
Patten, Brian. The Blue & Green Ark: An Alphabet for Planet Earth. Illus. by David Armitage, Sian Bailey, Patrick Benson, Tim Clarey, Jason Cockcroft, Cathie Felstead, Karin Littlewood, Nick Maland, David Parkins, Jane Ray and Helen Ward. 1999. 56p. Scholastic. All ages. A beautiful book! You can pick this book up and start on any page and you are immediately drawn into the verse and mesmerizing images. The illustrations fill the spectrum for appeal, color, style and beauty. Throw in Patten's verse and you have an alphabet book that deserves a place in the classroom or on the coffee table.
Williams, Laura Ellen. ABC Kids. 2000. 32p. Philomel. Pre K-1. The photos of children in this alphabet book are expressive and vibrant in color. From playing in the dirt to eating watermelon they are having a grand time. With a little bit of imagination your classroom could replicate the idea and personalize an alphabet book for your classroom.
Yorinks, Arthur. The Alphabet Atlas. Illus. by Adrienne Yorinks. Letter Art by Jeanyee Wong. 1999. 60p. Winslow Press. Gr. 3-6. This is truly a unique atlas. The text quite simply moves from one featured country or region to another and the lavish illustrations bring each location to life through Adrienne Yorink's careful choice of color and representative features. Wong's lettering interfaces exceptionally well with the illustrations. Arthur Yorinks recognizes this work as a starting place to learn more about the many geographical locations in this world. All three recommend visiting the Winslow Press web site for more information <www.winslowpress.com>.