Tomorrow's Alphabet - Hardcover

Gr. 1^-3. For children already familiar with the sounds of the alphabet, this is a witty concept book about process and creation. You start off being puzzled, irritated: "A is for seed" --what's going on here? Then the opposite page explains, "tomorrow's APPLE." On the left-hand page, a spreading hand holds a tiny seed; on the opposite page, a hand holds a rosy apple. As kids begin to get the idea, they'll love the surprise and want to make up their own examples. Most of the sequences are physical--"P is for clay, tomorrow's POT" --but a few make the leap into abstraction: "U is for strangers, tomorrow's US." The fine design connects each letter with the word it will stand for in block letters in the same color. Crews' clear, fluid illustrations are among the best he's done: the watercolors have a vitality that is the essence of the book. The last page ("Z is for countdown, tomorrow's ZERO) shows a rocket taking off into space: confusing, yes, but once the concept is grasped, it makes a perfect climax to all the controlled energy of the pages. Hazel Rochman