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ABC POP!

Name: ABC POP!
Author: Rachel Isadora
ISBN: 0-670-88329-8

by Rachel Isadora ‧ RELEASE DATE: May 1, 1999

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Pop art has a lot of built-in appeal: swathes of color that nearly vibrate in their intensity; unambiguous shapes and lines; forms reduced and flattened into vivid patterns. Isadora has taken these tenets and produced an homage to pop art—to the works of Roy Lichtenstein above all others—in an alphabet book that is at once both retro and modern. The text is minimal, with one letter represented by one word through the alphabet. The palette of images, however, is eye-catching and bears multiple viewings gracefully. Some letters have double-page spreads, such as “T Train” with its gleaming gray Santa Fe engine in the orange desert with a huge sun, a lemon-yellow sky, and green saguaros. Others, such as “K Kitchen” are a series of small cropped views on a single page: readers glimpse the spout of a red kettle, most of a green toaster, a bisected view of dishwashing detergent. Occasionally, a single image fills the page, as in the playing card for “Q Queen.” The pages are satisfying, visually stimulating, and fun. (Picture book. 3-8)

Pub Date: May 1, 1999

ISBN: 0-670-88329-8

Page Count: 32

Publisher: Viking

Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010

Kirkus Reviews Issue: May 1, 1999

Categories:

CHILDREN'S CONCEPTS

- BOOK REVIEW
DO I HAVE TO WEAR A COAT?
by Rachel Isadora ; illustrated by Rachel Isadora

- BOOK REVIEW
MY DOG LAUGHS
by Rachel Isadora ; illustrated by Rachel Isadora

- BOOK REVIEW
I JUST WANT TO SAY GOOD NIGHT
by Rachel Isadora ; illustrated by Rachel Isadora

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MONSTER MATH

by Anne Miranda & illustrated by Anne Miranda ‧ RELEASE DATE: Aug. 1, 1999

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Miranda’s book counts the monsters gathering at a birthday party, while a simple rhyming text keeps the tally and surveys the action: “Seven starved monsters are licking the dishes./Eight blow out candles and make birthday wishes.” The counting proceeds to ten, then by tens to fifty, then gradually returns to one, which makes the monster’s mother, a purple pin-headed octopus, very happy. The book is surprisingly effective due to Powell’s artwork; the color has texture and density, as if it were poured onto the page, but the real attention-getter is the singularity of every monster attendee. They are highly individual and, therefore, eminently countable. As the numbers start crawling upward, it is both fun and a challenge to try to recognize monsters who have appeared in previous pages, or to attempt to stay focused when counting the swirling or bunched creatures. The story has glints of humor, and in combination with the illustrations is a grand addition to the counting shelf. (Picture book. 3-8)

Pub Date: Aug. 1, 1999

ISBN: 0-15-201835-2

Page Count: 32

Publisher: Harcourt

Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 1, 1999

Categories:

CHILDREN'S CONCEPTS | CHILDREN'S HOLIDAYS & CELEBRATIONS | CHILDREN'S SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY

- BOOK REVIEW
TANGLED
by Anne Miranda ; illustrated by Eric Comstock

- BOOK REVIEW
VROOM, CHUGGA, VROOM-VROOM
by Anne Miranda & illustrated by David Murphy

- BOOK REVIEW
TO MARKET, TO MARKET
by Anne Miranda & illustrated by Janet Stevens

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QUACK AND COUNT

by Keith Baker & illustrated by Keith Baker ‧ RELEASE DATE: Aug. 1, 1999

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Baker (Big Fat Hen, 1994, etc.) engages in more number play, posing ducklings in every combination of groups, e.g., “Splashing as they leap and dive/7 ducklings, 2 plus 5.” Using a great array of streaked and dappled papers, Baker creates a series of leafy collage scenes for the noisy, exuberant ducklings to fill, tucking in an occasional ladybug or other small creature for sharp-eyed pre-readers to spot. Children will regretfully wave goodbye as the ducks fly off in neat formation at the end of this brief, painless introduction to several basic math concepts. (Picture book. 4-6)