Alphababies [Hardcover]

Kim Golding (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: September 15, 1998 | Age Level: 3 and up

Twenty-six letters...twenty-six colorful pictures...twenty-six smiling babies!

Charming, bright illustrations that combine art and photography make this an alphabet that the youngest readers will love. Each letter of the alphabet features a picture of an adorable baby in a cheerful setting, and rhyming text carries parent and youngster from letter to letter. If you love babies, you'll love Alphababies!

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

This abecedary confection, Golding's debut, combines photos of multiracial toddlers with highly stylized, computer-generated costumes, letters and settings. To illustrate the letter V, for example, a toddler's face is collaged atop a snappy tuxedo-and-tails ensemble, and he seems to wave a maestro's baton at a row of stick-figure violinists. The wee mermaid perched on a bubbly letter M sports a sleek, iridescent tail and luxuriously synthesized carrot-colored tresses topped with a crown. Some of the letters are cleverly costumed as well: the letter X, which here represents that old alphabet standby, the X-ray, is wallpapered in a motif of bones. The rhyming text doesn't sing with originality, but it is succinct and sufficiently catchy, with each rhyme completed across a single spread: "I is an igloo made from ice blocks/ J is for Jack who lives in a box." In a few compositions, the blending of child and computer art is awkward (especially where some of a child's limbs look photographed and others look computer-generated) and not all the letters are evenly integrated into the vignettes. The palette, too, runs to techno-colors, heightening the otherworldly, even eerie effect. But for the most part the conceit works, offering plenty of appeal to the dress-up instincts of the very young. Ages 2-5.
Copyright 1998 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From School Library Journal

PreSchool-A short rhyming text and colorful collages are featured in this concept book. Accompanying each letter is a cheerful descriptive line ("D is a duck, a sailor like me"). The collages of toddlers playing, reading, and sleeping are somewhat reminiscent of Anne Geddes's popular photographs of babies dressed up as vegetables, etc. However, here the full-color pictures of children's faces are superimposed on computer-generated drawings to create surprisingly appealing illustrations. This book works on several levels-as an ABC book, a rhyme, or as a playful look at preschoolers painting rainbows and flying kites.
Christine A. Moesch, Buffalo & Erie County Public Library, NY
Copyright 1998 Reed Business Information, Inc.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 3 and up
  
• Hardcover: 32 pages
• Publisher: DK CHILDREN (September 15, 1998)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0789425297
• ISBN-13: 978-0789425294
• Product Dimensions: 9.5 x 8.8 x 0.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12.8 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,771,984 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars These babies really are cute!, March 24, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: Alphababies (Hardcover)

Don't be fooled by some of the reviews for this book. These computer-generated babies REALLy are cute -- and not the least bit scary or offputting. My two-year-old daughter loves babies and loves this book.

5.0 out of 5 stars Computer graphics meet real pictures, January 6, 2009

By 

Doodlebop Mom - See all my reviews

This review is from: Alphababies (Hardcover)

This is a fantastic book that generates computer images with real baby pictures. My daughter loves this book and can't wait for mommy to turn the pages (it is not a board book). I can't wait until she can do it herself so she doesn't get so impatient waiting for me!

5.0 out of 5 stars A must have!, February 4, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: Alphababies (Hardcover)

My 16 month old boy can't seem to put the book down. There must be something about the illustrations of the babies that make this book magical-- not to mention a good way to learn the alphabet. I would recommend this book!