Alphablock by Christopher Franceschelli

by Christopher Franceschelli

With thick pages cut into the shape of each letter, children and parents will enjoy this peek-through guessing game around the letterform itself. Sprinkles, hot fudge, and cherries hint at I’s ice cream sundae, while aquarium accessories hint at F’s fish. As readers interact with the pages, they will familiarize themselves not only with the 26 letters and associated words, but also with each letter’s physicality—angles, holes, and curves, both front and back. With Peskimo’s animated, stylish visuals, this fresh ABC book encourages readers to manipulate the alphabet in a whole new way.

Note: illustrations have a retro feel, with imperfect variations in color and texture.

Praise for Alphablock
STARRED REVIEW
"All the parts together make an appealing and fun way for youngsters to interact with the alphabet, and for slightly older children to enjoy the clever artwork."
—School Library Journal, starred review

"The straightforward vocabulary, cheery vintage-style graphics, and neat incorporation of cut-out letters make for a sharply designed package."
—Publishers Weekly

"With a pleasing, retro feel, Peskimo’s art uses bold colors in a slightly muted hue and the weathered look of woodblock prints… A visually captivating delight for careful little ones."
—Kirkus Reviews

"While it’s graphically sophisticated enough to please adults, little children can happily flip through this book on their own."
—The New York Times

"The baby, toddler or nursery-schooler who tears the gift wrapping off Christopher Franceschelli's Alphablock may think that she has just opened a toy, for how lively and tactile the thing in her hands will be."
—The Wall Street Journal

Awards
Parents 10 Best Children’s Books of 2013

 

Genres: Picture Books, Childrens, Juvenile, Young Adult, Kids, Education, Family

Unknown Binding

First published September 3, 2013

Reviews

[Mir · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'm not quite sure what the big deal is about this book -- reviewers seem to be reacting as if they had never seen a picture book with peek-through/cutout pages before. It's hardly a new idea. But it's a nice, solid ABC book with good illustrations. I would have liked if all the pictures matched up* on both sides of the letters rather than only some; I liked the ones that matched as you flipped them much better. But kids at the appropriate age level probably won't notice.



*In case that's hard to visualize: See in the image above how the pink tablecloth is still lined up realistically after you flip the I over? With some letters that doesn't happen.

[Kate · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'm pretty sure this is the first board book I've ever reviewed - probably because the vast majority of board books (even ones that do a good job of being developmentally appropriate for babies and toddlers) are quite unremarkable. If they're not adaptations of other things like popular toddlers' TV shows, picture books, nursery rhymes, etc., they are simple concept books. This one falls into the latter category, but it's worth noticing for its beautiful artwork and the way the letter is cut out on each page. A green stem and a picnic basket peek out from the hole in the middle of the letter "A" to hint at "apple", and so forth throughout the book. It's a great tool for toddlers who have begun developing language skills to work on early letter recognition.

Due to the fragile die-cut pages, this wouldn't last two circulations in a public library, which I suspect is the reason that the library I work at hasn't collected it. But it's one that I'll be sure is in the personal library of expecting moms I know!

[GinaRose Cristello · Rating 5 out of 5]

If you are looking to work the alphabet into your child's library, 100% this is the one to choose. Simple graphics with cut outs, and super fun examples of the use of each letter, lorenzo reads this multiple times a day!

[Boom! · Rating 4 out of 5]

We have tried out a lot of letter books but this is the one my oldest two children seem to really enjoy. The pages are shaped like the letters they are. It's a fun, interesting and unique book for little people learning their alphabet.

[Christine Kallner · Rating 4 out of 5]

This ABC board book stands out with its bold artwork and clever design. Very curious about the other "block" books now since this is such a favorite with my toddler.

[Acacia Schafer · Rating 5 out of 5]

Current favorite. Ripped the “m” though.

[Lin · Rating 3 out of 5]

I, like my granddaughter, enjoy this book, with the exception, on my part, of the Z. The intangible "Zoom", showing cars, is simply not a good choice for children this young. Zipper (in my opinion) would have been a far better and pertinent choice.

[Donalyn · Rating 5 out of 5]

Outstanding design with just the right amount of whimsy.

[E · Rating 3 out of 5]

The weakest of the "block"books I've read so far. I wish there were less sweets in the book and for the life of me I can't understand why there are 25 nouns and 1 verb! Drives me crazy.

[Saoirse Hirsch-O’Toole · Rating 5 out of 5]

Nice book but G for garden is a bit basic so I tore that one out. I suggest G for gorillas in the next version.

[Danielle Perez]

1. Rewards- none
2. grade range- preschool-kindergarten
3. Summary- Each page of this book is cut into the shape of a letter. On each letter page there are words that start with that intended letter. It is a fun and creative way for young children to learn the alphabet.
4. Review- I find this book to be useful in a number of ways. For starters it is a fun and creative way to help children learn the alphabet and develop an interest in books. The specially shaped and cut pages will also help a child learn the shapes, angles and cuts of the letters of the alphabet-this can help develop their writing skills as well.
5. Possible uses in class-
1) children can use as reference for writing
2) study tool
3) use to help foster first letter phonemes

[Mama Bearian · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is an awesome alphabet book! The text is simple (it includes one item for each of the 26 letters), but the illustrations make this book truly unique. The letters are die cut into the pages, which creates a tactile element to the book, since readers are actually feeling the geometry of the letters as they turn the pages. Clues about the item that each letter will stand for peek around the letters (i.e. a fish's tail is visible behind the letter "F"). This allows children who are already familiar with the alphabet to make predictions about what is coming on the next page. I also really love the bright colors of the illustrations.

[Jared Kling · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this book and thought that it was a great book for parents to read to their children. The illustrations were done beautifully with each page prominently showing of the letter of the Alphabet. While also using words that start with that letter to practice word association while simultaneously learning the Alphabet. I think the book was very well written and complimented the illustrations wonderfully. I would highly recommend to any parent that is in the process of teaching there children the alphabet, because it is a fun and effective way of doing so.

[Amanda · Rating 4 out of 5]

A good solid alphabet book. The illustrations are fun, and there is just something about the colors I find especially pleasing. It's a cut out book, but somehow more durable than your average flap book, which we normally avoid for our toddlers. Both our kids enjoy this one, and I can already see it helping the 2 year old gain even more interest in letters, as it seems to hold her attention longer than some alphabet books.

[Jennifer Fischer · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read this book with my four year old to help reinforce the ABCs. She loved that we were reading such a big, thick book together. The peek through cut-outs on the letters made it more of a fun read than the typical alphabet book. The text is simple in order to focus on the alphabet concept. The pictures are vibrant and simple, which is a factor I can appreciate in this type of book.

[Michelle Madrid · Rating 4 out of 5]

My son absolutely loved Countablock so we knew we wanted to try another book by Franceschelli.

This one was not quite as good as Countablock. Unsure why my son didn’t maintain engagement but some of the art seemed too simple. It felt like it didn’t quite get as much attention as Countablock’s art.

[Libby Hill · Rating 5 out of 5]

A five star rating based on other alphabet primers. I love this for its vibrant colors and the tangible, large letters.

We use it for toddler preschool and it’s great to have around the house.

Recommended for 2-4

[Mary · Rating 3 out of 5]

We like this book and its fun artwork, but the letter cut-outs are fragile, as in not meant for toddler hands. I've taped multiple pages back together. I wish this was a thicker board book so that younger kids could enjoy it, too.

[Sunni · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a great book to introduce the alphabet to students. It always shows students examples of each letter. Students could do many activities with this book and the alphabet.

[Susan · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love this. Great illustrations, fun transitions and wonderful vocab! Z is for Zoom! :)

[Wwebber123gmail.Com · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very useful and enjoyable for home pre-schooling for toddlers.

[Freddie D · Rating 4 out of 5]

A super fun alphabet primer with a guessing game on each page. Lots of colours and bright, bold pictures and cut-out pages really set this apart from other alphabet board books.

[Maeve · Rating 4 out of 5]

An alphabet book guessing game.

[Rowan Jaffe]

From the Cannons

[Robin · Rating 2 out of 5]

Sturdy die cut pages featuring every letter of the alphabet and something that begins with that letter. Pretty ho-hum.

[KinderWithBooks · Rating 4 out of 5]

As alphabet books go, this one is visually stunning with the letter-shaped pages, but a little lacking in content. My four-year-old reads this one herself without any hesitation (except "yachts").

[Raquel C · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really enjoyed reading this to my son. He liked the cut-out style and guessing what was underneath the letter.

[Ademog · Rating 4 out of 5]

Is not as sturdy as i thought it would be for a board book.

[Ms. Arca · Rating 3 out of 5]

It’s pleasing to hold size wise and visually fun but surprised by the high reviews. I can see turning it into guessing being fun. I thought it was just ok though

[Audrey Hobbs · Rating 4 out of 5]

I like having so many different words to see and learn (I'm learning words like crazy right now). Plus there are a lot of different animals, which is a big plus!