Customer Reviews

How to Build an A

5 star:		(12)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

My little boy is obsessed with letters & words plus he's a boy--- so this was the perfect combo for him. The foam pieces are very sturdy & he has not been able to tear & bite through any of them the way he has with other "foamy" products.

I have loved Sara Midda's beautiful and whimsical illustrations for years--this alphabet book is darling, and the idea of the blocks is a good one--except for the horrible smell of the blocks themselves! I took them out of their wrapper and allowed them to air out overnight--no change in the odor--they just smell chemical. I would not want a child to play with them, and I think a kid would notice that they 'smell funny'! I will take them to the local teacher-education store to try to match other foam or wooden blocks so we can use the cute book and build the alphabet, and then out the stinky ones go!

I had to throw these away because the smell was so strong. The concept of the book is great but the company should have chosen either wood or a plastic without so much of a smell.

When our toddler started learning his alphabet, people started giving him lots of crappy alphabet-related gifts. It really was too much, and we'd always groan on the inside whenever he got another one. This one, however, was an unexpected gem. (Another one was eeBoo's alphabet puzzle.) He likes the book on its own, and he also loves building the letters. Though he learned how to create the letters long long ago, he still pulls it out on occasion.

The reviewer complaining about the letter X is correct, "X is for xmas tree" is kind of lame, but for us the point is that it's a great learning toy that our child genuinely enjoyed.

The two year old boy I babysit absolutely loves using the foam pieces to build the alphabet. The pieces are large and sturdy so it is easy for his small hands to arrange them to make the letters. As soon as I get to his house, he often says, "Let's build letters."

I read about this book in Cookie Magazine and ordered it for my 3 1/2 year old right away. He LOVES it. I'll take out this book once in a while, and he will go through every page and build each letter. The book/blocks come with a little mesh bag so everything stays together. It is very nicely illustrated and easy for a pre-schooler to follow.

I bought this for my 3 yr old daughter to help jump start the ABC process. After two times reading the book she started forming the letters using the cutouts on her own. A week later she was at lunch with her mother in restaurant shaping letters out of the crayons and silverware on the table. Our friends were amazed. The illustrations are nicely done. It's great way to learn the ABCs.

I thought this was a blast. My three year old had a good time creating the letters - especially since since she shows an interest in letters, but doesn't have the dexterity yet to really handle a pencil. The reviewer who had to bring religion into his/her review shouldn't have given in fewer stars. It is a bunch of fun. He/she should also know that "X" just happens to be a symbol for Christ - thus the shortening of Christmas to X-mas. Regardless - the book is fun and will keep a kid busy - I would buy it before a plane trip.

This is great for breaking down letter construction into simple elements. Love it for toddlers or children who might struggle with handwriting! My 2 year old thought the dog illustration for "D" was a cow. "D says duh for cow." Snicker.

I was eyeing the wooden blocks sold for the Handwriting Without Tears program, but honestly couldn't afford them. Then, my sister found this and gave it to my son as a gift for his second birthday.

Two is a little young... as evidenced by the small bite-marks in a couple of the blocks. The book is also a little subtle for the younger set. But now that he's three, he's playing with these almost every day.

The foam letter-building "blocks" are perfect for kids who lack the fine motor control to actually write letters, to help them become familiar with the shapes. A couple of reviewers have commented about the smell of the foam. I seem to remember something from when they were new, but it dissipated quickly, and now, over a year later, there is absolutely no odour. If you were uncomfortable, you could leave them in a safe place outdoors to air for a day or two.

As with the earliest Handwriting Without Tears book, the book only covers uppercase letters. You will want to be careful - V is for Valentine (if I recall correctly) and X is for Xmas (this one's for sure) are not really part of our Jewish repertoire, nor do I wish them to be.

I once overheard my daughter reading it to herself before it had been read aloud to them, and she was saying, "V is for... CARD... X is for DECORATION." It's cute, but there are some inoffensive choices that could have been substituted to give this book more universal appeal.

But frankly, I'm not giving this product 4 stars because of the book. I'm rating it so high because the letter shapes are a wonderful way to introduce letter formation in children who are too little to start actually writing. The book itself is secondary; you could easily substitute the first Handwriting Without Tears book instead and just go from there.