ABC Books
A child's love affair with letters can start long before she's mastered her alphabet. We've rounded up our favorite ABC books, from classic to contemporary, simple to surreal.
by Elena North-Kelly
- Eric Carle's ABC
- by Eric Carlel (Grosset & Dunlap, $6)
It's impossible to imagine this satirical sci-fi fable being illustrated in anything other than McCall's inimitable faux-retro art style. His Dick-and-Jane-ish paintings, paired with the story's over-the-top inventions, haywire robots, and plucky kid heroes, make for picture-book perfection.
- A Child's Day: An Alphabet Of Play
- by Ida Pearle (Harcourt Children's Books, $13)
Collage illustrations depict actions beginning with each letter, so kids can act out the alphabet as they go.
- Charley Harper ABC's
- by Charley Harper (Ammo Books, $15)
A collection of retro images by renowned illustrator Charley Harper, this board book feels like a (droolproof) work of art.
- G Is For One Gzonk!
- by Tony DiTerlizzi (Simon & Schuster, $17)
This irreverent book is great for an older kid who knows his ABCs and is ready to flex some reading muscle.
- Animalia
- by Graeme Base (Abrams Books for Young Readers, $20)
Readers will discover a rich fantasyland and plenty of new words: D is for dragon—and diabolical.
- Found Alphabet
- by Ramon Shindler, Wojciech Graniczewski (Houghton Mifflin, $16)
A big part of the fun is in IDing the everyday objects that make up each page's images.
- Peter Rabbit's Hide and Seek ABC
- by Beatrix Potter (Penguin, $13)
Pull tabs add a new dimension to the sweet world of Peter, Tom Kitten, et al.
- Dr. Seuss's ABC
- by Dr. Seuss (Random House, $9)
Awesome alliteration, amusing artwork, and absolutely absurd antics appeal to audiences of all ages. Need we add anything?
- Eating The Alphabet
- by Lois Ehlert (Harcourt Children's Books, $7)
The enticing images of colorful fruits and veggies just might convince him to give broccoli another chance.
- ABC: A Child's First Alphabet Book
- by Alison Jay (Dutton Children's Books, $9)
Look closely at each picture for a carefully hidden visual hint about the theme on the next page.
- A-Z: An Animal Alphabet Book
- by Martin Yeeles (Bob's Your Uncle, $35)
This book teems with trivia; kids will learn their letters and that jellyfish are 95 percent water.
- Bruno Munari's ABC
- by Munari (Chronicle Books, $20)
Forty-nine years after this book's original publication, the iconic Italian artist's large, beautiful illustrations still look fresh.
- ABC
- by Matthew Porter (Simply Read Books, $9)
A straightforward animal-ABC book—but the 26 wide-eyed critters on these pages are uncommonly adorable.
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