S Is for Salmon: A Pacific Northwest Alphabet

by Hannah Viano, Hannah Viano (Illustrator)

Overview

Nature is on full display in this beautiful ABC book: C is for Crab; D is for Douglas fir; and E is for Eagle. Based on Pacific Northwest artist Hannah Viano’s regionally themed paper-cut art of the region's wildlife and nature, this lovely children’s book features fascinating plants and animals, shedding new light on learning the ABCs that will appeal to young and old alike. Fans of Nikki McClure and Kate Endle will appreciate the beautiful handmade appeal of this book.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781570618734
Publisher:	Blue Star Press
Publication date:	02/25/2014
Pages:	32
Product dimensions:	6.60(w) x 9.10(h) x 0.40(d)
Age Range:	2 - 5 Years

About the Author

A youth spent on the rocky Maine coast introduced HANNAH VIANO to the marvels of life on and by the water. Now she connects to Northwest nature and culture through public art projects, education, and site-specific installations. She is the author of the children’s books, Arrow to Alaska, S Is for Salmon, and the journal Weathering. She currently lives in Twisp, WA, with her family.

Editorial Reviews

"This eye-catching alphabet book affectionately showcases the Northwest's bountiful beauty."
Kirkus Reviews

"Teach kids to read the Northwest way with S is for Salmon...a new alphabet book by Seattle artist Hannah Viano, featuring gorgeous paper-cut illustrations of local flora and fauna."
Seattle magazine

". . . this quintessential alphabet book for Northwest kids brings together gorgeous paper-cut artwork with pages dedicated to all that is living in the Northwest..."
Red Tricycle

"Beautiful paper-cut illustrations highlight Northwest flora and fauna, from B for blackberry to R for rhododendron. Muted pastel colors accent the pictures, created by cutting away black paper. A sentence per page offers a bit of child-friendly information...'"
The Seattle Times

"Here's a cute little book that teaches the ABCs Northwest style! 'S is for Salmon' by Seattle artist Hannah Viano is fun to read and pretty to look at. Beef up your Northwest vocabulary with words like: anemone, morel, lichen, horsetail and more."
South Sound
 
"If you have ever been on a hike in the Columbia Gorge or gazed upon majestic Mount Hood, then you might agree the Pacific Northwest is a magical place. Hannah Viano perfectly illustrates this magic in her debut children's book, S is for Salmon."
NW Kids

"Pacific Northwest artist Viano uses a paper-cut style—an art involving cutting from a sheet of black paper—to illustrate this striking alphabet book."
Alaska Airlines Magazine 

"S is for Salmon is a striking, elegant alphabet book for families in the Pacific Northwest (and beyond) that expands young readers’ vocabularies and tickles the fancy of parents reading along."
Seattle's Child 

"Viano's compositions convey our region's flora, fauna and geography with pleasing simplicity and her written definitions are a nice combination of natural history and whimsy."
The Bellingham Herald

"Author and illustrator Hannah Viano’s S Is For Salmon is not your typical ABC book. It is fresh, the artwork is excellent and every kiddo practicing their ABCs should have a copy of this beautiful book."
Portland Book Review

"There are plenty of alphabet books out there—so many that you can afford to be pretty picky when choosing which titles to check out from the library or purchase and add to your child’s personal home collection. . . recently I came across a stunning and unique new alphabet book, Hannah Viano’s S is for Salmon: A Pacific Northwest Alphabet from Sasquatch Books; this is one I can’t stop looking at, and it’s become a new favorite of mine."
itty bitty

". . . a gorgeously crafted, hardcover alphabet book that showcases natural elements like humpback whales, and bald eagles with [Hannah Viano's] vibrant, handcrafted illustrations."
Portland Monthly 

From the Publisher

2013-12-18
Anemone, blackberry, crab, Douglas fir, eagle…this elegant alphabet book mirrors the natural wonders of the Pacific Northwest. Except for the double-page spreads "A for anemone" and "Z for zephyr," each Northwest entity is allotted one gift-card–perfect page, showing the capital and lowercase versions of each letter. The artwork resembles woodcuts, but Viano carves away black paper to shape her images. A soothing palette—creams, robin's-egg blue, pale greens, warm rose—sets a reflective mood in keeping with the quiet, still illustrations of close-up objects and landscapes alike. The text—sometimes factual, sometimes more whimsical—is best for reading aloud to wee ones, as the sentence structure can be somewhat convoluted: "Tucked away when exposed at low tide, the tentacles of a sea ANEMONE reach out when the water returns." Much of the pictured flora and fauna, such as gull, lichen, nettle, pine cone, queen bee, etc. can be found elsewhere around the world. The author embraces her Northwest-resident status, using inclusive language like "[o]ur beloved ISLANDS" and extending her conversational tone with friendly admonitions such as "Blame the squirrel for the falling PINECONE that hits you on the head while you rest against a tree." Urchins and volcanoes and whales, oh my! This eye-catching alphabet book affectionately showcases the Northwest's bountiful beauty. (Picture book. 4-8)

Kirkus Reviews