Tangerines and Tea, My Grandparents and Me by Ona Gritz

An alphabet book that uses alliterative rhyming phrases for each letter and illustrations that demonstrate siblings visiting grandparents on their farm.

The illustrations are full inviting children to identify many objects. The word choice and rhyming make this a fun book to read aloud. At first, I did disagree with this categorization as an alphabet book. The letters are not shown with the rhyme so it would not be as useful as some in letter recognition. However, it is helpful in reinforcing the sound of each letter.

Gritz, O. (2005). Tangerines and tea, my grandparents and me. New York: NY, Harry N. Abrams.
ISBN: 0810958716
Illustrated by Yumi Heo.

A Gardener's Alphabet by Mary Azarian

An alphabet book using gardening terms to represent each letter. Full page wood-cut illustrations tell a story within themselves.

I loved this book! The illustrations are beautiful. I can imagine reading this with a young child spending time looking at the pictures and talking about what is seen. X is for xeriscape is genius!

Azarian, M. (2000). A gardener's alphabet. Boston, MA: Houghton Mifflin Company.
ISBN: 0618033807
Illustrated by author.

The Hidden Alphabet by Laura Vaccaro Seeger

An ingenuous alphabet book with an image framed by a black mat and when lifted the letter is revealed. The word choice, changing perspective and beautiful illustrations make this book interesting and unique.

I found myself eagerly opening the flap to figure out how the image fit within the letter!

Seeger, L. (2003). The hidden alphabet. Brookfield, CT:Roaring Book Press.
ISBN: 0761319417
Illustrated by author.

The Turn-Around Upside-Down Alphabet Book by Lisa Campbell Ernst

An alphabet book where each letter is shown to be three different objects when the letter is viewed from different direction by rotating the book.

As I was reading this book, I was reminded of finding images in clouds when I was a child. Sometimes I was the only one that could see the image in the clouds, other times it was obvious to all. Interestingly, the author mentions this same childhood pastime in her author's note at the end of the book.

Ernst, L. (2004). The turn-around upside-down alphabet book. New York, NY: Simon & Schuster.
ISBN: 0689856857
Illustrated by the author.

The Graphic Alphabet

An alphabet book that incorporates each letter within the illustration representing each word, such as D is for Devil. The choice of words is outstanding and the images placed on the black background make for a visually distinctive book.

I found this book to be unique in the approach to the alphabet. It would be appreciated by readers of all ages.

Pelletier, D. (1996). The Graphic Alphabet. New York, NY: Orchard.
ISBN: 0531360016
Illustrated by the author.

Eating the Alphabet by Lois Ehlert

An alphabetical look at 76 beautifully illustrated fruits and vegetables. A glossary is included at the end of the book which includes pronunciation, history and small picture of the plant.

I loved that the author used unusual vegetables, like kohlrabi and jicama. The bright colors and detailed illustrations just popped off the page.

Ehlert, L. (1989). Eating the alphabet: Fruits and vegetables from a-z. San Diego, CA: Harcourt, Brace & Company.
ISBN: 0152244352
Illustrated by the author.