Customer Reviews

ABC

5 star:		(5)
4 star:		(0)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

Kids are funny, sometiemes they just never like a book, no matter its status as a "classic" or not, sometimes they're infatuated with one for a few days or weeks only to never return to it again, and then others, they return to constantly.

This book is in the latter category for our now 2.5 year old, who has had it for about a year and a half or so, and still enjoys it a few times a week at naptimes and bedtime.

It's nice reading to your kid the letters and the animals' names, you can establish a nice rhythm. And even though we don't really know what an Uakari or a Quokka is, the pictures are still nice, and it's fun to be silly reading those silly names.

The artwork is really original, which in my view, is the book's selling point. These are not literaly renderings National Geographic style, but rather interpretations of animals, instantly recognizable, yet quite cleverly and uniquely drawn. One of the nicest aspects of this book is that it's both a traditional ABC book and a compilation of artwork at the same time!

It's quite sturdily built, too! Nice thick boardbook-style pages, with a sturdy binding. Guaranteed to last! Highly recommended.

Mathew Porter is a local Seattle artist that owns a very funky Art Boutique shop called Blue Bottle in Capitol Hill. His work of big-eyed animals, monkey pirates, and chirpy birds appeals to both children and adults. All of his art is reminiscent of those carefree childhood days.

I loved it so much that I went out and bought the original "F is for Fox" painting. The entire book is based off of his popular alphabetical series where he paints the acrylic painting and then sands off the texture to leave a shiny worn look like a well-used building block.

This book is the perfect baby-shower gift. Visit his gallery on your next trip to Seattle.

I love the artwork in this book and I have a lot of fun reading it to my young son. Each page of the book depicts a different animal: "I is for Iguana", etc. However, I was mildly surprised when I noticed that the R page has a pretty basic typo ("R is for Racoon" instead of "R is for Raccoon"). Obviously, it's nothing major, but it's somewhat irking since the book is meant to be a learning tool. I also think that some of the chosen animals are a bit esoteric for a children's book (Quokka? Nuthatch? Uakari?) It's a beautifully designed book, however, so if you can overlook these flaws, you will probably enjoy reading it over and over.

I think this is a great ABC book! Love the illustrations. Yes, as a previous reviewer mentioned, some of the animals are quite exotic, but I think that's a perfect time to use the internet and show your child what a Nuthatch or a Quokka is. Learning that there are other animals out there besides the ones we always see. :-)

A prior reviewer was annoyed at the typo "Racoon" instead of "Raccoon." When I met Matthew Porter, he had a heavy British accent, so he's probably not using the American English spelling of "Raccoon."

Great quality book. Imaginative, beautiful colors and a fun way to think about the alphabet and animals too.

this book sucks.

the example for the letter "q" is "quokka". quokka????? what the hell is that? according to wikipedia "its roaming is restricted to a very small range in the South-West of Western Australia". great!!!! so most people will never even see one outside with their child. i couldn't even tell what kind of animal it was by the illustration. as a matter of fact the illustration style makes some animals look indistinguishable from other completely different animals. how about "quail" for "q" matthew? at least i can point to one and tell my kid what it is.

i'm glad i got this book for free so when it is eventually destroyed by my daughter i won't feel that a good book was needlessly destroyed.