Alphabet City

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Summary: The alphabet is all around us.
Review: In this book for children (no words except for the introduction), the artist finds settings throughout a typical city in which the letters of the alphabet can be seen in the buildings, streets, etc: a very fresh look at the alphabet that children will enjoy. The book was a 1996 Caldecott Honor book (i.e., a runner-up to the Medal winner) for best illustrations in a children's book.

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Summary: Older Kids, Also!
Review: My 5th graders enjoy this book. After "reading" this wordless book, we tour our school and observe the "alphabet school." It is amazing how many letters they find in the most obscure locations. The search continues for weeks. This is a great way to hone observational skills and attention to detail. Wonderful book.

Rating:
Summary: Beautiful art -- good for all ages
Review: My son received a copy for Christmas and the adults enjoyed the carefully crafted illustrations as much as he did. Not all the letters are obvious at first making the book all the more fun.

Rating:
Summary: Recognizing letters
Review: Stephen T. Johnson's Caldecott Honor Book (1996) Alphabet City is a wordless book depicting paintings of scenes from urban life cleverly depict each of the letters of the alphabet. Each letter (and painting) has its own page, such as an "E" in a side view of a traffic light, an "M" in the arches of the Brooklyn Bridge, an "R" in the cracks in the sidewalk, and a "T" in the negative space between two tall buildings. The paintings are photo-realistic in style and view scenes from a variety of unique vantage points, some showing an entire landscape while others focus on a small detail. The large size of the book and the high-quality glossy paper display the paintings to full effect. Children who have newly learned their letters will enjoy showing off by spotting the letters "hidden" in the everyday settings and will likely begin spotting more letters in their own surroundings. There is a secondary message in this book about the prominence of language in our daily lives and that we are surrounded by letters and language.