Alison's Zinnia [Hardcover]

Anita Lobel (Author, Illustrator)

Book Description

Age Level: 3 and up

Alison acquired an Amaryllis for Beryl. Beryl bought a Bergonia for Crystal. Crystal cut a Chrysanthemum for Dawn.

And so it went until Yolansa yanked a Yucca for Zena, who zeroed in on a Zinnia for Alison...

Anita Lobel's dazzling flower paintings glow with life and turn an original and witty alphabet book into a magnificent floral display for all ages.

Alison acquired an Amaryllis for Beryl.
Beryl bought a Begonia for Crystal.
Crystal cut a Chrysanthemum for Dawn.

And so it went, until Yolanda yanked a Yucca for Zena, who zeroed in on a Zinnia for Alison ...

Anita Lobel's dazzling flower paintings glow with life and turn an original and witty alphabet book into a magnificent floral display for all ages.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Flowers and the girls who give and receive them ("Beryl bought a Begonia for Crystal") take readers through an alphabet brought to full bloom by lushly colored illustrations. Ages 3-up.
Copyright 1996 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to the Paperback edition.

From School Library Journal

"Alison acquired an Amaryllis for Beryl" begins this luscious-looking alphabet book. Linking together a girl's name, a verb, and a flower, the brief text takes readers through 26 varieties and when "Zena zeroed in on a Zinnia for Alison," the chain comes full circle. A generous layout allows the painterly and botanically accurate illustrations to take center stage while a strip at the bottom quarter acts as a storyboard depicting each child's choice of flower. The full-color gouache and watercolor portraits offer a brilliant display of both the familiar, such as the daffodil, and the unfamiliar, like the Urtica. The composition is delightfully varied--one rose stands regally alone while dozens of delicate Quaker-ladies share an entire spread, and the use of color and texture exhibits a masterful touch. One can almost smell the fragrant Sweet william. Some noun and verb combinations seem forced, but most exhibit an inventive use of language that could offer inspiration for further wordplay. An elegant book that might best be enjoyed along with an adult who also appreciates the gift of flowers. --Caroline Ward, Nassau Library System, Uniondale, NY
Copyright 1990 Reed Business Information, Inc.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 3 and up
  
• Hardcover: 32 pages
• Publisher: Greenwillow; 1st edition (October 17, 1990)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0688088651
• ISBN-13: 978-0688088651
• Product Dimensions: 12.3 x 9.3 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.1 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,264,027 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars enchanting, January 26, 2000

By 

Kimberley Brown (Canada) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Alison's Zinnia (Library Binding)

My 4 year old daughter and I found this book light-hearted and enchanting. The illustrations are beautiful. The book flows smoothly from start to finish making it a very pleasurable read for both parent and child. My daughter brings this book to me on a daily basis and we have read it over and over again. Delightful!

8 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Flowers A to Z, November 26, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Alison's Zinnia (Hardcover)

Anita Lobel's Alison's Zinnia is a unique alphabet book using a circular tale to lead the reader from A to Z. Each page has one line which begins with a girl's name and a flower for that particular letter and ends with a girl's name for the next letter, "Heather hosed a Hyacinth for Irene". The split page illustrations show a large detailed painting of the flower on top and the story line with the alphabet letter below the text. I believe children will enjoy the challenge of the unusual names and the flowers portrayed in the picture book. In the classroom it would be a great children's literature rewrite. The students could use, for example, boys names and vegetables to create their own classroom version. Another example of her beautiful art work and her ability to capture the details of a flower are in The Rose in my Garden by Arnold and Anita Lobel.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A beautiful addition to any child's library!, April 23, 2002

By 

Nikol Le Vine "poet17" (San Diego, CA United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Alison's Zinnia (Hardcover)

When my son fell in love with all things blooming, I began my search for a book about flowers. I had been searching for a book that featured several different flower types and their names, as well as color illustrations. I was so pleased when I found Alison's Zinnia! Not only are there beautiful color paintings of the different blooms, there is also a narrative that teaches the ABC's. A few of the flower types are difficult to pronounce (even for the adults out there!), and how many girls do we really know named Xantippa? Also, I was a little disappointed that all the names featured in the book were little girls. I would have liked to see some boys thrown in the mix. Especially since I bought his book for my son. But I still think that the book is a priceless addition to our family library.