THE SEARCH & FIND WORLD OF SHADOWBOXES, REDISCOVER THE ABCS
written and illustrated by Laura L. Seeley
Seeley offers a visually resplendent, alphabet-themed, word-search picture book.
“Spot animals. Objects! / Find WORDS and much more! / And discover a world of things / when you explore.” So tasks “Shadow,” the cute, cloudlike critter who narrates this collection of picture searches. Readers are presented with a two-page spread for each letter of the alphabet. The first page of each contains text in a simple ABCB rhyme structure: “I is for icecubes / and ice cream cones, too. / Look for irises, flowers / of indigo blue.” Every instance of the featured letter is in color (in contrast to otherwise-black text), and words beginning with that letter float ghostlike in the background. The flow is dreamy, and it takes a little work to keep in rhythm (children will likely gloss over the words altogether and dive straight into the picture searches). Each letter’s illustration page is presented as if within a large picture frame containing a collage of painted illustrations, each bursting with images inspired by the letter in question. The letter M, for instance, features macaroni, a monkey sitting on a moon (with a mouse sniffing about), a mermaid (wearing mittens) with mountains in the background, and a marshmallow tree with marigold flowers. The images are rich and intricate, much in the style of Graeme Base’s classic Animalia (1986), and offer endless encouragement for poring over by keen young eyes.
A lovely book to read and pass down through the generations.