Memorable ABC Books

Life with a preschooler means a lot of singing, and a lot of opportunities to promote early literacy skills--especially with the ABC song. My daughter loves reading with me and sits for picture books and early chapter books. At almost four years old, she also loves to practice writing. She wants to write daily. I no longer tell her how to spell words when she asks, but rather work with her to sound out the parts. She knows her letters, both upper and lowercase, and their primary sounds,

Looking at Alphabet books through the eyes of a reader, a writer, and as a mom, has made me picky about alphabets. If I am going to remember a book, it needs to be unique and catch my interest. Memory of the book, though, is not necessarily equal to liking it.

There are three alphabet books that jump to mind.

ABC Israel by Rachel Raz
We received this alphabet book as a gift. I will admit that I have not been to Israel. Being Jewish, though, means that learning about Israel has been part of my life. I had hoped ABC Israel would be a good book to use to introduce my daughter to the country, at least at a basic level. I wish that it showed more about Israel--the country, the land, the people, and perhaps the history. At least, that's what I expected. Unfortunately, this book is more memorable to me for what it lacks.
First off, this book lacked consistency with the types of terms named for each letter.
U=Up, but D is not down. O=Old and N=New. Up what, old what, new what? Up is for the solar panels up on rooftops. Old is for an old aqueduct. New is for new buildings. So, here we have some adjectives. Not all terms were adjectives.
R=Recycling. C=Cats.
Yes, I'm glad that there are recycling containers in the streets. I am a dedicated recycler, but we recycle here. Is recycling the best "R" word that could have been used for a book about Israel? Regarding cats, the book notes that they stroll through the streets. I like cats, but to someone who does not, the focus in this book might not exactly make Israel, or at least Tel Aviv, attractive. Perhaps something more connected to Israeli culture such as Carmel Market (also in Tel Aviv) might work. I would think a market might be fascinating to a child. I remember learning about the barter system in the market when I was younger and finding it interesting.

A few other terms do give a little taste of Israel that connects readers to people and places in Israel, thanks to accompanying photos, such as J=Jerusalem. T=Taxi does not quite cut it. Is this book supposed to show ABC concepts, or places, or things? Through my writer lens, the terms seem a bit random for me.

Then, as I prepared for this post and looked back at the book flaps, I learned that I'm supposed to look at the images and choices in this book the way a child might if she ventured through her town and kept track of the things she noticed. I suppose the choices in ABC Israel might be all right when I view them this way. Yes, children may pick out similarities between where they live and what they see in the book, but several of the alphabet choices do not make Israel sound very special or unique. That's still what I would expect from the title.

Just one girl's opinion.

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Alligators All Around by Maurice Sendak
I acquired my tiny, approximately five inches by seven inches sized copy of this book during my early grad education, but forgot about it amid my collection of children's books. I recognized the words while hearing Carole King (yes, the Carole King) sing the song on a mixed CD that my daughter received. This triggered a memory. After a search, I found the book and have since shared it several times with my daughter. She loves Sendak's funny pictures of the alligators. I came to appreciate what I initially saw as silliness, as depictions of typical life with a child.

There are normal activities such as D=Doing Dishes, and C=Catching Colds. Then there are silly ones such as E=Entertaining Elephants, R=Riding Reindeer. Of course, there is reality in Q=Quite Quarrelsome and T=Throwing Tantrums. The only letter that I see as being an issue today is I=Imitating Indians. The illustration shows the alligators wearing feathered headdresses, holding a tomahawk and smoking a pipe. One thing to remember, though, is that Alligators All Around was originally published in 1962. Times and views on cultures were different. While definitely not politically correct today, this page certainly can be used to kick off a discussion about Native American cultures and stereotypes.

Despite the one page, I enjoy the book.  My daughter loves when I sing it to her rather than straight read it. The power of the words put to music definitely makes it memorable, and in my case, memorized.

I recently also discovered the cartoon version of Alligators All Around with Carole King singing. It appears familiar, so I am guessing that I saw it as child somewhere. Sesame Street, peerhaps? A television special? Wherever the familiarity stems from, it definitely awakened a feeling of nostalgia. Enjoy. Alligators All Around animation serenaded by Carole King

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Jambo Means Hello: A  Swahili Alphabet Book by Muriel and Tom Feelings
I discovered this book on a reading list for a recent grad school class. In this book when the reader learns the words for each letter, the reader also receives a lesson about rural African culture.

• A=Arusi means "wedding." The reader learns about the celebration held in a village complete with drumming, dancing, and food for everyone.
• M=Mama means "mother." The reader learns about the mother's role of teaching her children to care for the younger children, and the daughter to keep a home, cook, grind corn, and make crafts.
• H=Heshima means "respect." The reader learns that children learn this at a young age and are taught to show respect for those older than themselves. The reader learns also about the custom in many communities for even grownups to kneel when meeting someone older.

Not only is the vocabulary learning rich, the illustrations, which were created by a complex process described at the end of the book, are beautiful. Images in shades and gradations of brown, gray, and white show African people working, creating, celebrating, and greeting one another. Readers also learn about dress, play, music, and nature elements of Africa.

What surprised me about this book is that it was published in 1974. The surprise came partially because I had never heard of the book or seen it before. It even was a Caldecott Honor book.
Jambo Mean Hello: A Swahili Alphabet Book is one of my new favorites!

The alphabet enriches us no matter how basic it may seem.
What is your favorite alphabet book?

Now I know my ABCs, next time won't you read with me...

Today and tomorrow,
~Tamara