Alphabet City
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Book Summary Information
Illustrator: Stephen T. JohnsonEdition: Mass Market Paperback
Audio: English (Unknown); English (Original Language); English (Published)
Published: 1999-10-25
ISBN: 0140559043
Number of pages: 32
Publisher: Puffin
Book Reviews of Alphabet City
Book Review: Alphabet City minus the grunge
Summary: 5 Stars
How successful an alphabet book is relies entirely on how well it conveys the alphabet to children. Sometimes books of this nature are so wrapped up in their own cleverness (like the wearily look-at-me-aren't-I-a-visual-delight, "Graphic Alphabet" by David Pelletier) that they forget who alphabet books are supposed to be FOR. Now "Alphabet City" is clever too. No question of that. But what Stephen T. Johnson has done here is whip up a book that inner city kids will immediately recognize and cling to. How many alphabet collections are there out there that form letters out of pastoral or countryside setting? Plenty. Johnson turns the idea on its head with near photo-realistic paintings of recognizable city objects and places.
In his forward to the book, Johnson explains that the roots of this project are based in his own love of the, "particular energy one senses in the people, sounds, and structures, old and new, that constitute a city". While out for a stroll on day, he found he could find letters in the most basic city structures, like fire-escapes and sawhorses. "Alphabet City" is the result. Each letter, always a capital, is presented as part of the environment around it. So the aforementioned sawhorse is the very first picture, with kids being able to readily recognize the "A" hidden in its crossbeams. No letter is going to be immediately easy to find. Johnson doesn't outline them in darker paints or even necessarily point them out in any way. The "R" hidden in leaf covered cobblestones is evident if sneaky. He also cheats a little here and there to get just the right shape. To find the "C" in the cathedral's beautiful window, a late afternoon shadow covers part of the circle. By and large, however, Johnson executes an extraordinarily clever conjunction of images. I would have thought it near impossible to find a "Q" in the city, but the wheel well of a stationary train proved me wrong. Johnson also flits back and forth between different kinds of light and shadow. You'll find yourself quite taken with his mysterious and towering "T", or the snow-covered bench that provides an "O". It makes for perhaps the most interactive alphabetic picture book out there.
This book does work on the premise that the children reading it already recognize the alphabet as it stands. How hard would it have been for Johnson to have place a large black letter in the corner of each page, allowing kids the chance to learn as well as explore? If you're a four-year-old and can't remember if "Q" comes before or after "R", this book will be no help to you. That said, for those kids already familiar with the shapes in this collection, "Alphabet City" can become a game in their off hours. They can walk down the street pointing out the letters they see in their own neighborhoods. Some pictures admittedly feel like Johnson is cheating. He obviously could have located an "L" anywhere, but did he have to make it so difficult for the readers by constructing such a convoluted image? Try flipping randomly to some of the pages and see whether or not you can figure out what letter you're on. Betcha bottom dollar you don't guess "F" or "G".
I complain, but only because I love. Truth be told, "Alphabet City" blew me away. There are all kinds of seasons here and a true love for city living that rings true. Johnson has a keen eye for the beauty inherent in urban living. Rust and peeling paint and moldering iron and missing tilework all combine into truly beautiful portraits. The alphabet has never been done so eclectically. Alphabet books with a designer bent always leave me a touch cold, but "Alphabet City" is different. Like its sequel, "City By Numbers" it's original and lovingly rendered. Consider pairing it with "Achoo Bang Crash" by Ross MacDonald and "New York, New York: The Big Apple From A to Z" by Laura Krauss Melmed for a truly urban and urbane alphabetic threesome.
Summary of Alphabet City
The urban landscape will never look the same again. As Stephen T. Johnson demonstrates in a series of strikingly realistic pastels and watercolors, a simple sawhorse can contain the letter "A"--while lampposts alongside a highway can form a row of elegant, soaring Ys. A 1996 Caldecott Honor book, this sophisticated, wordless alphabet book is sure to appeal to young and old alike.
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