ABC Flash Cards

Secret Agent Josephine

by Brenda Ponnay

Want the best alphabet flashcards for your baby or toddler?

Whimsical art is paired with a large letter in each of these cards so your kids are sure to understand that--

A is for Apple...
D is for Doggie...
U is for Underwear!

Here's what people are saying about the books from Brenda Ponnay a.k.a Blogger Secret Agent

“The Blonde Tornado LOVED the books (especially the ABC's) and asks to play with them on my phone repeatedly. She worked with them on the airplane and loves reading them together ... the animals are so adorable and creative. The colors are bright and cheerful and the books are just fun” - Inside Dog

“A true hit and the girls loved the funny pictures, the bright colours and Avelyn especially loved that she was able to read the Alphabet Book all by herself!” - Kickyboots

“With illustrations that truly pop, the pages in this children’s book are just begging to be framed.” - Heather Sanders on The Pioneer Woman

The ABCs burst brilliantly on to the page in this alphabet flash card book by blogger Secret Agent Josephine, a.k.a. Brenda Ponnay. Children will delight in the colorful illustrations and simple text.

This Kindle alphabet book is an ideal introduction to the alphabet -- the large letters are front and center in this book specially formatted for ereaders and Fire devices.

Based on flashcards developed for her blog readers, this ABC book has been featured on Alpha Mom, The Pioneer Woman and many more!

The title of this book has been changed to clear up confusion around the Secret Agent Josephine brand. This book features whimsical illustrations of animals and common objects. For a spy-themed work- check out Brenda Ponnay's Secret Spy Numbers

Genres: Childrens, Picture Books, Ebooks

30 pages, Kindle Edition

First published July 4, 2011

Reviews

[Amber DiTullio · Rating 2 out of 5]

Based on the title, I was expecting a far different book than what ended up being presented. I was expecting a fun search through the alphabet, finding letters in places the child wouldn't expect them. Instead, what I was given was a pretty standard, run of the mill alphabet book.

Each page showed a single, large letter with a picture of whichever word the author was using to show off that letter of the alphabet. In smaller letters below the letter and picture it would tell what the letter stood for (For example, on the page for V, there is the letter V in the center, a vacuum to the left partially obscuring the letter and in parenthesis and small type below it, it says, "V IS FOR VACUUM").

While the author didn't do traditional words for each letter (on Q using quetzal and on U using underwear), several are ones that I'd come to expect through the many, many, many alphabet books that I've read to my boys over the years. There are so many other A's out there beyond Apple and Ant. I enjoy finding different ones.

The artwork wasn't bad. Each page is a golden background with a large, lighter shade sunburst in the middle. The letters are in Times New Roman font and colored a brick red. Each item that is chosen as an example of the letter has eyes and a mouth (including the underwear, which is slightly disturbing). The only change beyond the example is where on the page it's placed. Sometimes it's the the side of the letter, sometimes above, sometimes behind. But for the most part, the elements are the same. In some ways, this is good - it provides continuity for younger children just learning their ABCs. But it also borders on the boring. The whimsical examples really are the only thing that saves it from being so.

All in all, it wasn't a bad ABC book, but it was far, far from what I'd expected. I was hoping for fun with the alphabet and instead got the same old, same old.

[Doskoi_panda · Rating 3 out of 5]

Secret Agent Josephine's ABC's is an illustrated children's alphabet book where the letter is in a very large, colored font with a picture an item beginnging with that letter (e.g., A is for apple.) Below the image is a short sentence in a small font with the description (A is for apple, etc.) The background color choice is a little unusual - like a light beige with a lighter starburst effect in the center to set off the illustration. The animal illustrations are simplistic but adorable, and being simple they don't distract from the lesson at hand (the letter.)

So why not 5 stars? My biggest complaint is the lack of Secret Agent Josephine - she appears on the cover and not on the letter pages, so I felt (and I think a child might feel) misled. You can't have an exciting name like Secret Agent Josephine and not include her*! The text describing the letter's image is very small compared to the letter's illustration, and could be in a simpler font, or at least made larger and bolder to attract a child's interest.

Rating: 3 - 3.5 stars
Review copy supplied by the author as part of LibraryThing's Member Giveaway program.
Review refers to the ebook (.epub format)version of this book.
* A neighbor's young daughter wondered where she was when I showed this to her, making me feel vindicated.

[Francine · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really liked this book and think little ones will like it as well. I only found two things that will make me sound nit-picky as heck but having worked and been around this age group teaching them I find that using proper language, such as dog instead of doggie, usually works better for language development. Also, last thing, there has to be an easier word for the letter Q.
Again, nit-picky but the book is sooo good and delightful that I just want it the best it can be!

[Sue · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a wonderfully illuistrated book of ABCs. I have to admit I always like to see a frog for F (they had a fishy) and I think it was creative to use Jellyfish, Newt, Octopus, Pumpkin things that aren’t usually used. The colorful items that go with the letters make it a great book to share together.

[Jenn · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a cute book. It's basically just each letter of the alphabet, along with an illustration of something that starts with that letter.

[Carolyn · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was cute but I thought that N for Newt and Q for Quetzal were a bit hard.