I read about a fun, new education blog carnival on Blog, She Wrote, so I naturally clicked over to check it out. I was tickled to discover that the Picnic Table Talk theme this week is alphabets since I have an alphabet book in my stack to share this week. I thought, why save it for Read Aloud Thursday since I have nothing else to do right now? 😉 I’ll just write up a quick post while my girls rest. (This is said with just the slightest bit of sarcasm, in case you can’t tell.)
From Letter to Letter by Teri Sloat is a visually appealing ABC book. I like ABC books a lot, but sometimes I’m not sure my girls “get” them because they are so accustomed to hearing a story. This particular book, though, encourages a lot of discussion. Each page features an upper- and lowercase letter. The uppercase letter is an outline letter, and every bit of it is filled in with illustrations of things that begin with that letter. The lowercase letter is a part of a larger illustration which relates somehow to the letter. For example, the uppercase A is filled with things like apples, airplanes, acorns, arks, etc. The lowercase a is a part of a neat illustration featuring anteaters. (Louise has been fascinated by anteaters since she had an unfortunate run-in with some fireants earlier this spring, so this illustration yielded an interesting discussion.) Some of the illustrations are unusual; in fact, I was unable to identify some of them (usually animals). Fortunately, Sloat includes a list of objects at the bottom of each page, with a comprehensive list at the end of the book. This is a great ABC book that would work for preschoolers on up through upper elementary students due to the sophistication of the illustrations. Highly recommended!
Incidentally, Teri Sloat is an author/illustrator whom we have greatly enjoyed here at the House of Hope. I reviewed This Is the House That Was Tidy and Neat here, and we have also greatly enjoyed the Farmer Brown books (I just haven’t blogged about them yet). You can find examples of Teri Sloat’s work and all of her book titles on her website. Be sure to check out her biography page–it’s a hoot!
If you’re interested in creative ways to explore the alphabet with your preschoolers, you might want to check out this week’s Picnic Table Talk at ABC and 123.
Filed under: Author/Illustrator Spotlight, Challenges, Memes, and Carnivals, Education, Picture Books |
Hope Is the Word 
Hmmmmm…..I’ve been seriously pondering hte alphabet lately. I think he’s ready for it but I’m not really sure the best way to approach it. Things to think about!
Thanks for the tip!
Wow, this looks wonderful!!
Thank you so much for joining the picnic table talk this week. I wanted to let you know that I added your link to the post. Sorry that Mister Linky was down when you tried. This book looks fantastic. What rich illustrations to discuss and learn from!
I love it when books can be used across grade levels. I went to a training once about using picture books with upper el. It’s true that many are very sophisticated. I’ve never heard of this book or the author, but I love the rich and detailed illustrations. I will have to check it out for sure!
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