Helpful Alphabet of Friendly Objects - Hardcover

John Updike

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0679943242 ISBN 13: 9780679943242

Publisher: Knopf Books for Young Readers, 1995

Synopsis

Delightful poems and photos of well-known and well-loved objects provide children with a memorable excursion into the world of letters and words, by a Pulitzer Prize-winning author and his son.

About this title

From Publishers Weekly

In addition to illustrious name of Updike, this extraordinary alphabet book offers numerous rewards-poems that are by turns thoughtful and lively; crisp photographs that seem both familiar and new; and a book design so fresh and appealing as to ensure repeat readings. Each poem and photograph describes ordinary things-apple, cat, eggs, shoes and socks-in language and images playfully accessible to preschoolers. "At evening/ when the grass is dewy," reads the poem for "R," "out hops the rabbit/ feeling chewy." For the letter H, a photo shows a boy crouched beside a gleaming chrome hubcap in which his image is reflected "stretched sideways like gum." Clever design elements begin with bright endpapers that repeat the interior photographs and letters; within, the typeface in "D" changes with each word comparing dogs and cats (a dog is "jumpier," its tail is "thumpier," etc.) in a kind of visual onomatopoeia; the words of the K-is-for-knot poem loop and meander to mimic "the thing that happens to string"; the photos appear in ovals and circles as well as standard squares and rectangles. This book is an introduction not only to letters but to looking at people and objects "as if you were/ inside them for a ride." Ages 3-8.
Copyright 1995 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From School Library Journal

Kindergarten-Grade 2?Updike's brief poems describe common everyday animals and objects from A-Z in language that is lively, succinct, and fun: "A dog/is jumpier;/its fur/is clumpier;/its tail/is thumpier;/but rarely/(compared to a cat)/is it grumpier." The appealing full-color photos range from sharply focused closeups to reflections and sweeping action shots of adorable animals and photogenic children. Each page has a different colored background, and the layout is varied and creative. The "Y" page, for "you," features kids of various ages and ethnic backgrounds playing, napping, and posing. This is not a memorable collection of poetry, but it's an entertaining selection that can be used as a concept book.?Christine A. Moesch, Buffalo and Erie County Public Library, NY
Copyright 1995 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Edition details

• Publisher: Knopf Books for Young Readers
• Publication date: 1995
• ISBN 10: 0679943242
• ISBN 13: 9780679943242
• Binding: Hardcover
• Language: English
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 40