Tomorrow's Alphabet
How, in an alphabet book, can the letter "A" stand for "seed"? Though the "A is for seed" syntax is not logical, Shannon's (Stories to Solve: Folktales from Around the World) amusing, letter-based word game teaches that a seed is "tomorrow's apple"; "E" is for campfire (tomorrow's embers), etc. Crews (Freight Train; Truck) depicts each subject with fairly realistic, up-close, page-filling images. The arrangement, however-the letter and non-letter object face the page with the appropriately lettered object, allowing the reader to see the answer in a glance-diminishes the surprise and the guessing that might ensue if the answer were unseen, i.e., on the following page or behind a flap. Examples such as "Y is for sheep-tomorrow's yarn" might be a bit of a stretch (in an earlier reference, "H" stands for yarn-"tomorrow's hat"), and the premise may confuse those with a shaky knowledge of the ABCs. On the other hand, young readers who have mastered the alphabet should catch on to the think-ahead concept with ease. Ages 5-up.Copyright 1996 Reed Business Information, Inc.