ALISON JAY is a graduate of the London College of Printing and is the acclaimed illustrator of many picture books, including The Cloud Spinner, written by Michael Catchpool, and A Gift for Mama, by Linda Ravin Lodding. Alison’s signature style is created using alkyd paint on thick cartridge paper, with a crackle varnish, giving an aged effect.
PreS-Gr 2-An inventive and beautifully illustrated book. Each page features a scene highlighting one object (apple, balloon, cow, etc.), the corresponding upper- and lowercase letter, and a simple declarative sentence ("a is for apple"). Most of the items will be familiar to young listeners. Each featured object is surrounded by several smaller things that begin with the same letter, as well as a tiny image of the key item on the following page. Thus, young readers can play "I Spy" and reinforce their understanding of the letter and its sound. The pictures add another dimension, telling an underlying story, as a woman bids farewell to a man who embarks on a journey that leads him to exotic settings where he encounters many of the featured objects. This element of fantasy is sure to provide smiles of recognition and delight. The final picture brings everyone and everything together in a nontraditional zoo. As in Jay's Picture This- (Dutton, 2000), the illustrations are captivating. The watercolor washes are done over backgrounds that simulate crazed porcelain, lending an old-fashioned feel to the paintings. The colors are easy on the eye, and the scenes are filled with marvelous detail, a clear sense of movement, and more than a touch of whimsy. A list of the items included appears at the end. More extensive than Bruno Munari's ABC (1960; Chronicle, 2003), this is a sure bet for youngsters who like to participate actively while learning their letters.-Nancy Menaldi-Scanlan, LaSalle Academy, Providence, RI Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information.
Fans of Jay's Picture This... will recognize a few familiar encore performances and appreciate her deceptively simple approach to this visual alphabet book. Once again, Jay previews an element in each painting that will appear in the next, and her porcelain-like, finely etched lines suggest an antique canvas. The minimal text cites one item per letter (next to a capital and lower case "Aa" appear the words "a is for apple"), and most illustrations include other objects that begin with the same letter (the candy-red airplane from Picture This..., an ant), as well as an item beginning with the next (a balloon appears in the upper right-hand corner of the "Aa" illustration, to be featured in the "Bb" painting on the next page; cows graze in the lower left-hand picture of the "Bb" painting before one takes center stage for the next scene, as it jumps over a crescent moon). Animal images abound, most rendered in a primitive style that tweaks traditional proportion. In several instances, Jay frames her images inventively: a picture of an equestrian accompanying the phrase "h is for horse" is nestled inside of a horseshoe (the rider holds an ice cream cone, to be featured in the next illustration); and for "Kk," readers look through a "keyhole" to view the equestrian's bedroom, her cap on her bureau, a koala atop her dresser, a kangaroo on a chair). This volume will likely offer as much to folk art aficionados as to children in the targeted audience. Ages 1-4. (Sept.) Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information.
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