Other than fables, legends and fairy tales, no genre or type of kid's books has been more enduring or perennially popular than Alphabet Books. There are thousands; did you know? You are probably familiar with several--perhaps Lobel's On Market Street; Graeme Base's Animalia; or Dr. Seuss's On Beyond Zebra.
Since their inception, alphabet books have fallen into one of two broad categories-those intended to teach children the letters as a prelude to reading; and those books that use the format as a way to organize information around a common theme. The latter, of course, are more sophisticated and frequently satisfying for readers of any age. A few to consider: O is For Orca features the stunning photography of Art Wolfe as he A-B-Cs his way around the Pacific Northwest; Leslie Tryon's first book, Albert's Alphabet is a wordless book. (Booklist says, "Children (and their parents) will enjoy pondering Albert's various construction techniques and marvel at his ingenuity."
One of our family's current favorites is A Mountain Alphabet, with well-crafted paintings by Andrew Kiss that invite searching for hidden letters as well as items that begin with each letter.
If you enjoy woodcuts, Mary Azarian's A Gardener's Alphabet is worth a close look.
And my favorite simple A-B-C was compiled by Seattle artist Cooper Edens. The Glorious ABC reproduces illustrations by thirty different great children's book artists of the past, including Caldecott, Greeenaway, Potter, Rackham, and Parrish.
I've been trying to resist the temptation to collect Alphabet Books; just in case I fail, what is your favorite?
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