Customer Reviews

All Aboard!: A Traveling Alphabet

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One of the best of the new generation of alphabet books: Books so sumptiously and cleverly illustrated that they're appropriate for adults as well as children.

Hard to believe? Just look at BIll Mayer's picture of a zepplein for the letter Z. Like all the pictures here, it's in the form of the great travel poster art of the 1920's-1940's, a genre that--at various times--displayed elements of graphic art, of course, but also art deco, Russian constructivism, and the industrial glorification seem in bothe the United States and the Soviet Union. A huge zeppelin clims at about a 45 degree angle agianst a skyscraper background, the extraodinary flight punctuated by arc lights beaming agisnt the dark, foggy sky. The intersection of those lights with each other and with the Zeppelin form the letter Z!

Every page is a marvel of composition, color, and design (oversized, bold, geometric-like shapes predominate), as well as a challenge to the reader to find the picture elements that form the alphabet letter. These are so cleverly placed, that this book would probably be frustratng for someone learning the alphabet; instead, I'd recommend it (very, very hghly) for youngsters who know their A-Z, and who perhaps have shown good shape recognition and discrimination. A pair of friendly adult eyes (although they may be challenged as well!) will help kids find the letters, dampening any potential frustration.

A few more favorites rnging from the simple to the complex: A steep Bridge with twi arches and the waterline forming the B; an A formed by the intersection of a ship's boarding ramp, and a vertical line, a Byzantine-looking Elephant with an "E' formed by a sword on top (from which hangs a peanut), two tusks in the middle, and the trunk on the bottom, with the spine of the E formed by the elephant's profile. The K of a kayak formed by a straight paddle and the kayaker's outstretched arms, an L in an airport Landing strip--turbo props just visible against a Casablanca (the movie) foggy nighttime sky, and the multiple N's seen in a ship's (christened the "Nautical") rigging. The pictures are done in airbrushed gouache, dyes, and some digital retouching. There is no narrative, just labels for each A-Z picture.

Bill Mayer is so masterful, and his work so reminiscnet of the glory days of poster advertising, that any of these witty, fanciful, and eye-catching pictures would make a beautiful poster. "All aboard" may be the best of the alphabet books (although, again, it's more suitable for somewhat sophisticated letter recognition than it is for letter learning.)
Lavishly illusrated on quality paper, this is a book to treasure aat home and school, for kids, adults, and vintage poster art and travel fans of any age.

Features up-close graphics of all sorts of conveyances, sure to thrill your little transportation nut. Some pictures are quite puzzling - finding the alphabet letters on the U page and the M page were a challenge. G for gondola and H for highway were my favorites - but the kids love K for kayak the best.

Interesting, unusual illustrations - this is a keeper.