THE ALPHABET ATLAS

Though marred by an ill-conceived text, this alphabet of countries makes as magnificent a showcase for Adrienne Yorinks’s textile art as Marian Wright Edelman’s Stand For Children (1998) was. Piecing together strips and blocks of cloth that are from, or at least associated with, 26 countries (e.g., part of Kenya is African mud cloth), she creates vibrant collages of pictorial and abstract patterns around stylized political maps; evocative color schemes, plus scattered images of characteristic flora and fauna, convey a sense of individuality for each nation. Wong adds another course to this feast of color with a series of large polychrome initials, each designed to reflect the accompanying art in some way. The single sentence captions are either carelessly phrased or refer to natural features that are not depicted; still, each turn of the page will elicit admiration from viewers. (Picture book. 5-7)