The Flower Alphabet Book
   Jerry Pallotta
   Illustrations by Leslie Evans
  1998 Charlesbridge Publishing, Watertown, MA USA
    ISBN: 088106453X


Roses are red, violets are blue & they're only two of the flowers in this bright & informative amaryllis to zinnia alphabet book for young readers.

With Leslie Evans' gorgeous & inspiring artwork of the flowers & clues to Jerry Pallotta's text, we are seamlessly taught our letters & come away with not only what each letter means, we also are inspired to connect ideas portrayed throughout the pictures.

Around the B is for Buttercup, are birds' claws; F is for Fruit Trees has a mouthwatering border of pies, cherries, popsicles & the cherry blossoms around the Jefferson Memorial in Washington DC. J is for Jasmine is just my cup of tea & N is for Nasturtium catches that particularly lovely plant exactly how I see it when humming birds come to feed.

There is even an Artist's Notes page on which is given details of the histories given to each plant; useful & curious trivia that completes this perfect bouquet of learning.

Very well done - a delight to both my eyes & mind!

Jerry Pallotta began writing to entertain his own children, his books include:
The Icky Bug Alphabet Book
The Icky Bug Counting Book/Cuenta los insectos
The Bird Alphabet Book
The Ocean Alphabet Book
The Yucky Reptile Alphabet Book
The Frog Alphabet Book
The Dinosaur Alphabet Book
The Victory Garden Vegetable Alphabet Book [ooh! yum, yummy!]
The Extinct Alphabet Book[now this one intrigues me!]
The Airplane Alphabet Book & many more!

Leslie Evans drew on her family as subjects for many of the borders in this book. Leslie also enjoys printing books & broadsides at her letterpress studio in Watertown, Massachusetts.
(06/03/01)

Rebecca