Review: Importance of Approachable Illustrations
Rating: 4 out of 5
Date: 06 8, 2014
Simple, accessible illustrations are a point often missed by highly,  perhaps over-polished children's books.  What I like best in LEARNING ABC'S WITH FRIENDS is how the illustrations are on the whole drawn in a basic but complete manner, becoming an indirect model for the child's own art, something the glossy, complex art of many children's books cannot be.  Aside from that, Ogden also gives a good treatment of the ABC's with individual treatment and and appropriate bold-face letters in the text.I do have a couple minor, personal nitpicking points.  I belive a child should be first introduced to full words before becoming familiar with their common shortened derivatives, e.g. using "pro" instead of "professional".  Also, although for many entries the appropriate letter is used many times in the text, there are entries that are noticeably bare with two or even one use.  Certain letters are traditionally rarer in English use; however,  I cannot help but feel creativity could at least include four uses of the appropriate letter in each entry.----I received a free copy of the aforementioned book in exchange for a candid review, having long experience with children's books and games (digital and physical) as well as classical homeschooling, and critically consider when applicable (in order of weight) titular promises vs content deliverance, stylistic qualities, general Kindle/physical formatting, and potential children/parental enjoyment.