Alphabet by Matthew Van Fleet

Van Fleet takes alphabet books to a whole new level with this work. Children can explore the letters of the alphabet through a full sensory experience including touch, sight, and even smell!

Throughout the book, different animals (beginning with each letter of the alphabet) are described and depicted. Almost all of these descriptions incorporate some sort of interactive sensory experience which helps get children excited about exploring the letters and also helps them build conceptions of different adjectives and animals. From "wrinkly gray elephants," "bristly yellow bees," "octopuses sticky," to "smelly green stink bugs" (yes, readers can actually smell the stink!) children will not grow tired of this book easily!

While at first glance, the pages may seem cluttered, every single

aspect of the bright, busy illustrations serves a purpose. At the end of the book, a list of 3 more plants and/or animals that begin with each letter is given. Readers are encouraged to search for them as they revisit the pages of the book. Therefore, this exciting and interactive picture book can be used with readers of all different ages to teach many different skills and concepts.

When I first encountered this book I had so much fun exploring all of the different surprises within! I hope that you and your young readers will find this book just as engaging!

~Katharine

Some Extras:

This is a video review of this book. The video is great for seeing all of the different enclosed interactive sensory aspects of the book!

Here is an interview with author, Matthew Van Fleet.