Charlotte Voake's Alphabet Adventure (A Tom Maschler book) Book

This is an alphabet book with a difference, with appeal for older children as well as those of pre-school age. On a magical and somewhat whimsical journey two children travel in a biplane on a trip through the world and at the same time through the alphabet, all brought to life by Charlotte Voake's imaginative artwork. With a page devoted to each letter of the alphabet, the children travel over a castle with cannons, see an eagle with its eggs, a giraffe strolling through the grass, a Japanese lake with lily pads where boats (one with a leak) are festooned with lamps – and so on. Eventually they reach a lively West Indian seaside scene with yachts, a yo-yo and a yawning lady sells yams, and finally on the last page they fly over a herd of Zebra racing across an African plain. On average, three or four words appear on each page, close to the items they describe and these are the only text. Many are unusual choices – beard, kimono and viaduct to mention but a few – and it is in that the book's charm lies. Younger children will learn new words and children as old as seven or eight will find equal enjoyment in identifying the words and matching them to the pictures. The illustrations provide much scope for discussion and have plenty of the kind of quirky detail that children delight in. There are children doing handstands, some kittens in a boat and twins in a roof garden, all guaranteed to spark a child's imagination. As an added dimension, the book contains at the start a list of things that can be found on the alphabet adventure, encouraging the young reader to look more closely at the pages to follow. Only then will he or she spot the child in a hat on the ‘H' page and the terrible traffic on the ‘T' page. There is also a list of things to count, from one octopus and two tables through to ten tugboats. This book is absorbing and great fun and is a wonderful addition to any child's bookshelf. It is likely to become a firm favourite and is a marvellous introduction to the magical world of words. (Ages 2 to 8) --Alison JardineRead More