Alphabet City [Paperback]

Stephen T. Johnson (Illustrator)

Book Description

Age Level: 3 and up

A 1996 Caldecott Honor book

The urban landscape will never look the same again. As Stephen T. Johnson demonstrates in a series of strikingly realistic pastels and watercolors, a simple sawhorse can contain the letter "A"--while lampposts alongside a highway can form a row of elegant, soaring Ys. A 1996 Caldecott Honor book, this sophisticated, wordless alphabet book is sure to appeal to young and old alike.

"Imaginative, stimulating, and striking." --The Horn Book

"Sure to intrigue." --Booklist

* A Picture Puffin
* Full-color illustrations
* 32 pages
* All ages

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

This wordless ABC, a Caldecott Honor book illustrated with photo-realistic still lifes, "transcends the genre by demanding close inspection of not just letters, but the world," said PW in a starred review. All ages.
Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From School Library Journal

Grade 1 Up?Beginning with the A formed by a construction site's sawhorse and ending with the Z found in the angle of a fire escape, Johnson draws viewers' eyes to tiny details within everyday objects to find letters. In this wordless tour of sights from Times Square to the Brooklyn Bridge, he invites young and old alike to take a new look at familiar surroundings, discovering the alphabet without ever looking in a book or reading from a sign. Conceived in the tradition of Ann Jonas's work, especially The Thirteenth Clue (Greenwillow, 1992), Johnson's pastel, watercolor, gouache, and charcoal paintings are much more realistic than his illustrations for The Samurai's Daughter (Dial, 1992); in fact, they are almost photographic in appearance. Some of the images are both clever and incredibly clear, e.g., the E found in the sideways view of a traffic light. Others, such as the C in the rose window of a Gothic church, are more obscure. Nevertheless, all of the paintings are beautifully executed and exhibit a true sense of artistic vision. While parents or teachers might assume from the title that this is a traditional alphabet book, they should be encouraged to look at it as an art book. It's sure to inspire older children to venture out on their own walks to discover the alphabet in the familiar objects of their own hometowns.?Nancy Menaldi-Scanlan, LaSalle Academy, Providence, RI
Copyright 1996 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 3 and up
  
• Paperback: 32 pages
• Publisher: Puffin (October 25, 1999)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0140559043
• ISBN-13: 978-0140559040
• Product Dimensions: 10.5 x 8.3 x 0.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 5 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (17 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #83,042 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #42 in Books > 4-for-3 Books > Children's Books > People & Places > Where We Live > City Life
  • #48 in Books > Children's Books > Travel & Cultures > Where We Live > City Life
  • #65 in Books > 4-for-3 Books > Children's Books > Baby-3 > Basic Concepts > Alphabet

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Older Kids, Also!, September 29, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: Alphabet City (Paperback)

My 5th graders enjoy this book. After "reading" this wordless book, we tour our school and observe the "alphabet school." It is amazing how many letters they find in the most obscure locations. The search continues for weeks. This is a great way to hone observational skills and attention to detail. Wonderful book.

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Recognizing letters, September 14, 2004

By 

Kara Reuter (Columbus, OH) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Alphabet City (Paperback)

Stephen T. Johnson's Caldecott Honor Book (1996) Alphabet City is a wordless book depicting paintings of scenes from urban life cleverly depict each of the letters of the alphabet. Each letter (and painting) has its own page, such as an "E" in a side view of a traffic light, an "M" in the arches of the Brooklyn Bridge, an "R" in the cracks in the sidewalk, and a "T" in the negative space between two tall buildings. The paintings are photo-realistic in style and view scenes from a variety of unique vantage points, some showing an entire landscape while others focus on a small detail. The large size of the book and the high-quality glossy paper display the paintings to full effect. Children who have newly learned their letters will enjoy showing off by spotting the letters "hidden" in the everyday settings and will likely begin spotting more letters in their own surroundings. There is a secondary message in this book about the prominence of language in our daily lives and that we are surrounded by letters and language.

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Great images, November 3, 1998

By A Customer

This review is from: Alphabet City (Caldecott Honor Book) (Hardcover)

My kindergarten classes love to look at this title again and again. Some of the letters are less obvious making it a challenge for some to see the letter.