The Graphic Alphabet (Caldecott Honor Book)

by David Pelletier, David Pelletier (Illustrator)

Overview

Discover a creative view of the alphabet, in this Caldecott Honor-winning picture book.

A graphical representation of the alphabet gives a new view of the letters, from the A that crumbles as an avalanche approaches to the D that glows with the light of the devil.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780531360019
Publisher:	Scholastic, Inc.
Publication date:	09/01/1996
Pages:	32
Product dimensions:	9.50(w) x 9.75(h) x (d)
Lexile:	1090L (what's this?)
Age Range:	4 - 8 Years

Editorial Reviews

This clever, at times challenging, alphabet book is as graphically beautiful as Chris Van Allsburg's The Z Was Zapped (1987). Newcomer Pelletier's presentation is all spareness and subtlety, asking onlookers to determine the letter from the picture, and supplying one-word clues. A spalls off pieces to become an avalanche; I is a submerged rectangle drifting through blue waters under a full moon in a night sky—iceberg; the M has snow-capped peaks, and appears with the word Mountains. A number of the letters are displayed at unusual angles—the P cants to become a pipe; for L, lines in turquoise and white form delicate edges for four squares of black. The choices convey a wonderful sense of the adaptability of letters, and, by association, of words. The letters will inspire dialogue when shared, e.g., Why is the I submerged so deep? Equally cunning are letters like R, a jagged rip of fiery red, or the crossed fingers on an X-ray image. They take a little time to decipher; for those already accomplished at ABC basics, the extra work will be worth every minute.

Kirkus Reviews