Paul Thurlby's Alphabet [Hardcover]

Paul Thurlby (Author, Illustrator)

Book Description

Release date: October 11, 2011 | Age Range: 3 - 7 years

Discover an alphabet like no other!

In his first picture book, graphic artist Paul Thurlby presents a stunning alphabet that helps to make the shape of each letter memorable. From an awesome A to a zippy Z, this is the perfect ABC book for the young and hip.

Editorial Reviews

Review

Is there any new way left to present the alphabet? The answer is "yes", as this graphic artist demonstrates when he applies his retro style to the ABCs. . . . Skillfully constructed and cleverly composed, it's an awesome alphabet book that adults will also appreciate.
—Kirkus Reviews (starred review)

As is the custom with most such books, we travel in orderly fashion from A to B to C and onward, but here most letters take the shape of an object or idea-or the object or idea takes the shape of the letter, depending-with results that are both surprising and refreshing.
—Wall Street Journal

Each of Thurlby's letters is meticulously conceived - he often uses old books and pieces of paper for backgrounds, and his art has a very stylized, retro feel.
—PRI's The World

About the Author

Paul Thurlby graduated from University of Buckinghamshire and became a full-time illustrator, whose graphic style is instantly recognizable. He is a regular contributor to many publications, including THE GUARDIAN, THE TIMES, THE INDEPENDENT, and THE BIG ISSUE. Paul Thurlby lives in England.

Product Details

• Age Range: 3 - 7 years
  
• Hardcover: 64 pages
• Publisher: Templar (October 11, 2011)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0763655651
• ISBN-13: 978-0763655655
• Product Dimensions: 8.8 x 0.5 x 10.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (16 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #465,609 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

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Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Amazing alphabet book January 24, 2012

By FIRR-Kids!

Format:Hardcover

There are so many alphabet books on the market that any newcomers must be pretty special to stand out. Paul Thurlby must be aware of that fact because he sure nailed it. He describes his unique book as "the challenge of fusing the object of the word with the shape of the letter." Even the cover is cheery, like the boy with the sparkly scarlet A body is cheerily waving the readers in. Appropriately enough, the A in this book is for awesome!

No crunched up alphabet here - each letter gets its own two page spread. The left page shows both upper and lower case letter against a solid colored background. The right page is the uppercase letter embedded in or transformed by design. Just underneath the letter is the two word description. Some of them are obvious, like D for dog or R for rabbit, with others a bit more abstract.

A fun game to play the first time through the book is to cover the written description with your hand and try to guess what the letter stands for while only being able to see the picture. We stumbled on H for Hang and F for Fierce, but had fun with our guesswork.

I like how the solid colored pages have small scuff marks and little bits of color in various places. It gives a nice patina to the pages, like this is an older, well-loved book that has been passed down through the ages. The style of the illustrations reinforce this thought, as Paul Thurlby has a very distinctive, vintage type style.

At the back of the book is the Artist's Note, which provides some interesting insights into how this book came to be. I love learning how writers and illustrators come up with their ideas, or how a particular project evolved. Another little perk: the book's dust jacket is doubled up. Remove and unfold to reveal a nice poster of the entire illustrated alphabet.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Bold and intelligent November 19, 2011

By Jessica at Cracking the Cover

Format:Hardcover

A really is for Awesome when it comes to this book. The images are fun and colorful and have a feel of age about them.

Children will appreciate Thurlby's humor and parents will love the attention to detail. As a special bonus, the book cover unfolds into a poster featuring all the letters. What a great way to learn the alphabet!

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars A piece of art September 7, 2012

By K. Hendricks

Format:Hardcover|Amazon Verified Purchase

We love this book! I actually bought it to cut up and use as art work for my 4 year old son's room. But after we got it, I couldn't bear to ruin the book. So I bought another one. :)