Alphabet School

Harking back to his first book (the Caldecott Honor–winning Alphabet City, rev. 11/95), Johnson shows the shapes of letters in everyday scenes, this time within a school, concentrating solely on letterforms rather than on words that begin with those letters. The illustrations (described on the copyright page as "monoprints on paper with digital enhancement") have a grainy texture that gives them a softer, more handmade appearance than those in Johnson's previous books. Each highly detailed image shows the letter standing out clearly but naturally, a balance of discovery and ease. The viewer is meant to solve a double puzzle on each page: what part of the school is the picture showing, and where is the letter? So, a stepladder forms the letter A, and is found in the library; a twisty slide forms the letter S, on the playground. Any child who knows his or her alphabet will be able to easily identify each letter, but a few of the locations are harder to decipher (and there is no answer key appended). The letter X is the weak link in this offering, possibly showing two dandelion stalks crossing each other on a playing field. This worthy companion to Alphabet City is likely to inspire a few students to discover and document their own local alphabets. Lolly Robinson

Johnson shows the shapes of letters in everyday scenes within a school. For each image ("monoprints on paper with digital enhancement"), viewers must determine what part of the school is pictured and find the letter (a twisty slide forms the letter S on the playground). This is a worthy companion to Johnson's Caldecott Honor–winning Alphabet City.