3-D ABC: A Sculptural Alphabet (Bob Raczka's Art Adventures) [Library Binding]

Bob Raczka (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: September 2006 | Series: Bob Raczka's Art Adventures

The three-dimensional world of sculpture comes alive in "this museum without walls," the sixth thought-provoking art book from Bob Raczka. As curator of this exhibition, Raczka focuses on sculpture from the twentieth century, arranging alphabetically from A (in the form of an Arrow) to Z (in the shape zig-zags). He not only points out different styles of sculpture such as abstract, kinetic, and relief, but also covers the variety of materials--stone, scrap metal, even light--that sculptors can use. A gallery collection like no other, this book is sure to delight and inspire.

--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

Starred Review. PreSchool-Grade 5–Raczka has a great eye–a welcome attribute in the creation of art books for children. His strength lies in selecting images high in child appeal and combining them in fresh, provocative ways. This alphabetically arranged primer on 20th-century sculpture includes Marcel Duchamp's Bicycle Wheel, Constantin Brancusi's The Kiss (paired with Robert Indiana's Love), and Claes Oldenburg's Spoonbridge and Cherry. The selections are international in scope, and the media range from scrap metal and found objects to wood and fluorescent lights. The change between exterior and interior settings adds further interest. On single pages or double spreads, Raczka includes the piece itself, a phrase highlighting its relationship to the letter, and the attribution. In brief sentences, he builds a cumulative understanding of the subject: a sculpture can have moving parts, is not always something you can recognize, can make you look at things differently. So can Raczka. Pair this with Camay C. Murphy and Tom Miller's Can a Coal Scuttle Fly? (Maryland Historical Society, 1996) to move from sampling a range of works to an appreciation of one artist's ability to transform everyday objects into three-dimensional art.–Wendy Lukehart, Washington DC Public Library
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From Booklist

As in other titles in the strong, ongoing Bob Raczka's Art Adventures series, this book works on many levels. Preschoolers will enjoy the well-reproduced color photographs of sculptures, arranged in an alphabetical format according to the basic shape of each piece ("A is for Arrow," "B is for Bicycle Wheel," and so on). Additional text imparts admirably simple observations and information, including basic terms: "A sculpture can have moving parts. This is called kinetic sculpture" reads a passage next to Jean Tinguely's Chariot MK IV. The thoughtful juxtaposition of images adds further meaning to each selection, and the lines on each page flow together into a smooth whole that reads aloud well. Most of all, Raczka encourages kids to approach sculpture by reinforcing the message that there are no wrong answers to the question of what a sculpture represents: "A sculpture can mean different things to different people, or it can mean different things to the same person on different days, because the more you look at a sculpture, the more you see." Gillian Engberg
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

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Product Details

• Library Binding: 32 pages
• Publisher: Millbrook Press (September 2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0761394567
• ISBN-13: 978-0761394563
• Product Dimensions: 10.3 x 8.3 x 0.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 11.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #444,845 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Looking at Sculpture, July 8, 2007

By 

Camille "at the BookMoot!" (Texas) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: 3-D ABC: A Sculptural Alphabet (Bob Raczka's Art Adventures) (Library Binding)

Bob Raczka writes terrific books about art for children. His excellent Here's Looking at Me: How Artists See Themselves should be in every art teacher's collection. In 3-D he explores sculpture. Using an ABC book format, he presents a wide range of concepts and media.

His subjects are well chosen to engage young imaginations. Each work is presented with full attribution which includes the title, the artist, the date and the location of the piece. A page at the back gives full credit for the photography in the book too. The importance of properly citing resources and giving credit to the work of others should be and must be continually emphasized to students.

Everything works in this book from the clear typography to the clean layout. The art is beautifully photographed and tagged with a letter of the alphabet.

Concert for Anarchy by Rebecca Horn at the Tate Gallery in London is an inverted grand piano, hanging in midair with the keys spilling downward. It illustrates "U is for Upside Down."

"A sculpture can make you look at things differently,"

My favorite piece in the book is Spoonbridge & Cherry by Claes Oldenburg and Coosje Van Bruggen at the Walker Art Center, Minneapolis, MN which is also the cover image. It is tagged with "S is for Spoon"

"A Sculpture can make you Smile"

This books will certainly make you smile and think about sculpture in a whole new way.
It was also nominated for the Cybil Non-fiction Picture Book award.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Sculpture made Simple, January 16, 2009

By 

Valerie Tagliavia "40 sumthin' mom" (Staten Island, New York) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: 3-D ABC: A Sculptural Alphabet (Bob Raczka's Art Adventures) (Paperback)

My 7 yr old son had to do a school project on the arts. He is not a great reader. It was difficult to find a book that he could read on his own. This ABC sculpture book was very simple...just a few words on each page, but it covered all the basics about sculpture,,,included a photo of each original sculpture and a little something about the type or style. He enjoyed it,,,I appreciated it and he was able to do his project without additional help. May not be challenging enough read for more than 2nd grade but anyone of any age will appreciate viewing the various types of sculpture.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Raczka captures essence of sculpture in our world., November 2, 2008

By 

Elizabeth Ellen "Elizabeth Ellen" (Boston, MA USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: 3-D ABC: A Sculptural Alphabet (Bob Raczka's Art Adventures) (Paperback)

Raczka's "Sculptural Alphabet" is a beautiful tool to help children see the vastness of sculpture in our world. The corresponding alphabet letters reinforces early literary skills. As an early childhood art teacher - I greatly appreciate this book and share it with all of my children.