P Is for Peanut: A Photographic ABC
Grade 4-6–This title joins the growing list of books that use the alphabet to showcase a topic. In this case, it is photography, and the featured works are from the J. Paul Getty Museum. A is for Abe features Alexander Gardner's 1862 photo,Lincoln on the Battlefield of Antietam, Maryland. H is for heads-up features Henri Cartier-Bresson's 1957 pictureBaseball Fever. The black-and-white images range from the mid-1800s to the early 1990s. Appended pages identify each one and provide brief background information. The photos and large white letters set against black backgrounds cover the spreads. Overall, this is a well-designed, handsome book. However, it will have a limited audience. It will be best appreciated with an adult introduction or by readers with a certain level of visual sophistication. It may also be used as a tool to study photography. Most young readers will find Bob Raczka's3-D ABC: A Sculptural Alphabet(Millbrook, 2006) more imaginative, colorful, and appealing.–Heide Piehler, Shorewood Public Library, WICopyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.