Alphabet Soup
PreSchool-Grade 2-- Otter finds a big old soup pot in his new home and invites 26 friends to a potluck house-warming party, asking each to bring a food that's soup-worthy. From Armadillo with his asparagus, to Zebra with his zucchini (" "zactly what zee zoup needz!' "), they all contribute to a hearty meal and a lush, lively alphabet book. Gustafson's beautiful paintings are dark and soft, and his striking use of light adds drama and depth: Koala's kumquats and krill are breathtaking as she shows them off against her cobalt blue kerchief. And the fungi in Mole's mushroom mine seem magical, illuminated by the beam from mole's miner hat. The artist creates interest via textures, colors, and a nod to the eccentric and exotic here and there, without undue clutter. Humor, which touches most of the illustrations, is especially rich in the case of Reptile (roasting his rutabagas ranch-style) and Frog (grinning as she flips her flapjack right off the page). Effective layouts back up gorgeous design to produce striking, cohesive images with the ability to unite, for readers, the letter and the word it begins. The large, handsome illustrations make the book a prime candidate for story time use. Its sophistication and beauty, on par with Grahame Base's Animalia (Abrams, 1987), offer primary graders who long ago mastered the alphabet plenty to think about and a story to enjoy. --Liza Bliss, Leominster Public Library, MACopyright 1991 Reed Business Information, Inc.--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.