The incredible illustrations from modern artist Charley Harper come to vivid life in this beautiful alphabet board book. Full color.
Charley Harper ABCs
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Book Description
Frequently Bought Together
Editorial Reviews
About the Author
Charley Harper was an American illustrator who worked from his studio in the woods near Cincinnati, Ohio, until his death in 2007, at the age of eighty-four. He is beloved for his delightful, graphic, and often humorous illustrations of nature, animals, insects, and people alike. Charley liked to say that when he paints a bird, he doesn't count all the feathers in the wings--he just counts the wings. Minimal realism, he called it, and his unique and precise style continues to resonate with and inspire his admirers both young and old.
--This text refers to the
Hardcover
edition.
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Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
24 of 24 people found the following review helpful
Format:Board book|Amazon Verified Purchase
I loved this book! The illustrations of animals on each spread are graceful works of art. The delicate use of line, color and shape sometimes looks Japanese, sometimes like a collage made of construction paper. Others are loose pen-and-ink drawings.
You can tell the late Charley Harper loved animals, as his affection for them jumps off the page. There is so much personality! In D is for Dog, the smiling spaniel has dirt on his nose and legs, and you can almost see him panting. In I is for Iguana, two giant lizards battle for a captive tiny pig, swinging their tails and rearing up. Q is for Quail shows whirring wings on a fat and happy bird.
The inside covers show a collage of dozens of other Harper animals, most of which are not used in the book.
The board book itself is a little more sturdy than most. It will hold up well.
Charley Harper's ABC's is an outstanding way to introduce fine artwork to young children. Other good choices include Zen Ties and Walt Disney's Cinderella.
You can tell the late Charley Harper loved animals, as his affection for them jumps off the page. There is so much personality! In D is for Dog, the smiling spaniel has dirt on his nose and legs, and you can almost see him panting. In I is for Iguana, two giant lizards battle for a captive tiny pig, swinging their tails and rearing up. Q is for Quail shows whirring wings on a fat and happy bird.
The inside covers show a collage of dozens of other Harper animals, most of which are not used in the book.
The board book itself is a little more sturdy than most. It will hold up well.
Charley Harper's ABC's is an outstanding way to introduce fine artwork to young children. Other good choices include Zen Ties and Walt Disney's Cinderella.
11 of 11 people found the following review helpful
By Thomas Pine
Format:Board book
This book is a great sampling of Charley Harper's work and a great ABC board book for kids.
There is something interesting or cute in nearly every picture. Harper's unmistakable style makes the alphabet enjoyable.
There is something interesting or cute in nearly every picture. Harper's unmistakable style makes the alphabet enjoyable.
9 of 9 people found the following review helpful
Format:Board book
ABC's uses Harper's stylized graphics of animals with few words and lots of nature study. Delightful for adults and educational for children. I am a Harper fan and would not normally buy a board page book. The unusual binding makes the board pages work well.
7 of 7 people found the following review helpful
Format:Board book|Amazon Verified Purchase
What a delight - a book that is as beautiful for the parents as it is for children. This stylish book is perfect. The pages are sturdy and plentiful for avid page turning toddlers. The letters are bold and the accompanying graphics are beautiful and full of surprises. My daughter is delighted with something new each time we read this book. It is a classic and our new favorite!
7 of 7 people found the following review helpful
By L. Higbee
Format:Board book
This book is BEAUTIFUL! What a fantastic way to learn the alphabet and be inspired at the same time. Harper's artwork is gorgeous, inspired and whimsical.
4 of 4 people found the following review helpful
By Wayne Farmer
Format:Board book
The "U is for Underwater" page really grabbed my attention. There are 3 molecules illustrated above a scene of water and lightning. Guess what - it's the origin of life on Earth!
The left molecule is CH3NH2 - Methylamine, the simplest primary amine.
The center molecule is NH2CH2COOH - Glycine, the smallest of the 20 amino acids.
The right molecule is CH3CHO - Acetaldehyde, which can condense with cyanide and ammonia to give, after hydrolysis, the amino acid Alanine, which is the next largest amino acid.
Simple organic molecules like these are thought to have been formed by lightning or hydrothermal vents, and to have been the building blocks of life in the waters of the ancient Earth.
Not the sort of thing you'd expect to find in an ABC book!
The left molecule is CH3NH2 - Methylamine, the simplest primary amine.
The center molecule is NH2CH2COOH - Glycine, the smallest of the 20 amino acids.
The right molecule is CH3CHO - Acetaldehyde, which can condense with cyanide and ammonia to give, after hydrolysis, the amino acid Alanine, which is the next largest amino acid.
Simple organic molecules like these are thought to have been formed by lightning or hydrothermal vents, and to have been the building blocks of life in the waters of the ancient Earth.
Not the sort of thing you'd expect to find in an ABC book!
3 of 3 people found the following review helpful
Format:Board book|Amazon Verified Purchase
I have always loved the illustrations of Charlie Harper and this children's book is no exception. You and your child will love it.
5 of 6 people found the following review helpful
By M. Walton
Format:Board book|Amazon Verified Purchase
This ABC book is beautifully illustrated. Pleasing for both a child and adult to look at.
The one thing that strikes me as strange is that the whole book follows the "A is for Ape, B is for Bird" pattern until you get to "N is for Nest", then "U is for Underwater???", "W is for Web" and "X- how many X's Can You Find?". It would have been nice to have animals on all the pages.. well I guess X is a bit hard. Perhaps they didn't have any illustrations from Charley Harper to fit those pages?
But otherwise I love this book. Would even look good on the coffee table!
The one thing that strikes me as strange is that the whole book follows the "A is for Ape, B is for Bird" pattern until you get to "N is for Nest", then "U is for Underwater???", "W is for Web" and "X- how many X's Can You Find?". It would have been nice to have animals on all the pages.. well I guess X is a bit hard. Perhaps they didn't have any illustrations from Charley Harper to fit those pages?
But otherwise I love this book. Would even look good on the coffee table!
Most Recent Customer Reviews
5.0 out of 5 stars
Beautiful book
Not your typical alphabet board book. The illustrations are stylized geometric pieces of artwork. This abstract style is a fun and interesting look at nature.
Published 9 days ago by susan b
5.0 out of 5 stars
Cant get enough Charley Harper
Great, vivid and geometric pictures, quality board book, great gift for nature lover or mid-century art enthusiast. Worth picking up.
Published 2 months ago by Other Writings
5.0 out of 5 stars
He's my favorite
What can I say? I can't get enough of Charlie Harper's designs. Bought a calendar too. Love 'em all! I'm impressed with the boawrd book format. Surprised in fact. Read more
Published 3 months ago by May Dembowski
4.0 out of 5 stars
Amazing illustrations, decent ABC Book
Charley Harper's illustrations are amazing and fun to look at for parents and baby. My biggest gripe about this would be the letter "X"... Read more
Published 3 months ago by Kristen L. Henschen
5.0 out of 5 stars
Recommend
The chubby board book version of this book is fantastic! I love it. The illustrations are just beautiful and the commemorative page at the end of the book makes this an instant... Read more
Published 3 months ago by Teri Carson
5.0 out of 5 stars
Beautiful illustrations
How fun to share Charley Harper illustrations with a little one while introducing them to their ABC's. Bought this one along with two other books to make a set. Read more
Published 4 months ago by Gayle F. Holten
3.0 out of 5 stars
Great Illustration, just too small
I was hoping the illustrations would take up a whole page, instead they cut them into 4 per page which is really too small.
Published 4 months ago by CrankyJ
5.0 out of 5 stars
Beautiful!
A lovely children's book by a beautiful illustrator - Charley Harper understands nature and can represent things in simple shapes and colors which are very evokative. Read more
Published 5 months ago by Jesse
5.0 out of 5 stars
Excellent
It was Charley Harper at its best; so much so that I am ordering his book of colors. His works never fail.
Published 5 months ago by Marcia K. Evans
4.0 out of 5 stars
Not too interesting for a two year old
My son is not too interested in the pictures. He loves the alphabet and gets excited about letters, especially ones he can hold in his hands. Read more
Published 18 months ago by Maria Serici
