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.
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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.
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.
Copyright 1996 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.
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Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
12 of 12 people found the following review helpful
By Kara Reuter
Format: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.
11 of 11 people found the following review helpful
By A Customer
Format: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 11 people found the following review helpful
By A Customer
Format: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.
Most Recent Customer Reviews
5.0 out of 5 stars
Stunning
Beautiful photos from throughout the city demonstrate the letters. Great inspiration for kids to go out and find their own "alphabet city"
Published 1 month ago by Gena R. Stack
5.0 out of 5 stars
The alphabet is hidden in the pictures throughout the book
The class enjoyed 'searching' for the alphabet on each page of the book. The book was in very good condition.
Published 2 months ago by Auntkiki
5.0 out of 5 stars
Great Book
An amazing series for a youngster, artist, or collector. This artist's work is "picture-perfect," and you won't believe your eyes!
Published 4 months ago by Kerri Zerrenner
5.0 out of 5 stars
BEAUTIFUL!!!
BEAUTIFUL pictures! Some letters are easier to see than others, but I think that's good! I have seen kids who are just learning their letters enjoy picking them out, and I have... Read more
Published 13 months ago by Maggie Mattmiller
5.0 out of 5 stars
high quality art
Look carefully. These alphabet letters are made from everyday objects. The illustrations look like photographs... but they are paintings. Extraordinary. Read more
Published on April 28, 2011 by M. Heiss
5.0 out of 5 stars
An Outstanding, Original Alphabet Book
Artistic alphabet books have become very common, but this original work is quite out of the ordinary. Read more
Published on July 29, 2010 by Shanna A. Gonzalez
5.0 out of 5 stars
Beautiful art!
This is the first book I have bought for my son that didn't have actual words in it for him to read. Read more
Published on March 4, 2010 by CLP
5.0 out of 5 stars
Love It!
This is a great book for a Kindergarten Class. We read the book in class then we looked for things to take pictures of to create our own book.
Published on January 2, 2009 by booksrgreat
5.0 out of 5 stars
Give this book an A
When this book was published, I purchased the hard cover and had the author sign it as a keeper for our home library. Read more
Published on December 21, 2008 by Kathryn Aman
5.0 out of 5 stars
Looking for an EXTRAORDINARY alphabet book? Look no further!
This book is a Caldecott Honor book! You would think at first glance that this is a photographic journey, but it is not! These are actually PAINTINGS! WOW! Read more
Published on November 8, 2008 by Bookworm
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