The Hidden Alphabet

by Laura Vaccaro Seeger

Open this unusual book and you'll be greeted by a striking image of an arrowhead, surrounded by a simple black frame. Lift the frame and the arrowhead will be magically transformed into the letter A. And so it goes, from Balloons, Cloud, and Door, through Leaf and Mice, to Yolk and Zipper. Bold distinctive images and a simple yet ingenious format make this a concept book, and a gift book, to treasure.

Genres: Picture Books, Childrens, Nonfiction, Art, Pre K

32 pages, Hardcover

First published September 3, 2003

About the author

Laura Vaccaro Seeger is a New York Times best-selling author and illustrator and the recipient of a 2008 Caldecott Honor, Theodor Seuss Geisel Honors for both 2009 and 2008, a 2007 New York Times Best Illustrated Book Award, and the 2007 Boston Globe/Horn Book Award for Best Picture Book. Her books include First the Egg, The Hidden Alphabet, and Dog and Bear, among others.

Raised on Long Island, New York, Seeger began drawing at two years old and never stopped. For as long as she remembers, she wanted to write picture books. She received her B.F.A. degree at the School of Fine Art and Design at SUNY Purchase in Westchester, New York, and then moved to Manhattan, where she worked as an animator, artist, and editor in the network television business.

Seeger lives in Rockville Centre, Long Island, with her husband, Chris, their two sons, Drew and Dylan, and their dog, Copper. She loves painting, surfing, tennis, playing the piano, and spending time with her family. She takes long walks at the beach every day and paints in her studio every night.

http://us.macmillan.com/author/laurav...

Reviews

[midnightfaerie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great alphabet book with beautiful illustrations! Found this little gem on a small shelf at the library. It's a lift the flap book, but you can see through each little window of the flaps, a picture of something that begins with the current letter. But when you lift the flap, the picture of the item beginning with that letter, turns into that letter! It's a really neat idea, and it's kind of a reverse alphabet book compared to the others, which usually have you reading the letter and then showing a picture. For this, I could read the word, and ask my two year old's what the word starts with, and if they didn't know, once I lifted the flap, it was like doing flashcards for them to guess the letter. They know almost all their letters by now from other books and videos I've used, and this was a great game for them. We read it several times. Great beginner alphabet book!

[Beverly · Rating 5 out of 5]

The mixed media illustrations are very creative. The full-page lift-flaps reveal how the object(s) melds into the alphabet letter as part of the negative space. For example, two balloons become part of the "B"; three mice help shape the "M"; and a snake winds around an "S". A great way to learn alphabet letters.

[Kaethe · Rating 5 out of 5]

It's just an alphabet book, but it's a cool one: first you get an image appropriate to the letter, then you open out the die-cut page and see the letter.

Library copy

[Beth · Rating 4 out of 5]

Beautiful illustrations partially hidden under flaps that reveal the letter underneath. A great one-on-one book that encourages questions and conversation with children learning their ABCs.

[Grace Heneghan · Rating 5 out of 5]

I picked this book for my ABC book because it seemed interesting and interactive, which I think woud help keep students' interest while reading aloud. I really like how the jacket is black with just the letters of the title in color, and then if you take off the jacket, the whole book is in color and the letters of the alphabet are in black everywhere. I appreciate that they used some unique words for the different letter such as "partridge" and "ukulele". I feel like usually when reading picture books you get a lot of the same words such as "apple" or "bunny" for example, but this book gave children a wider range of unique words that they will now remember and recognize. The layout of the book is also very cool. It is simple illustrations that you find when you lift up the paged of the book. This would make the book a lot more interesting to children because it is kind of like a little surprise.

I would use this in a Kindergarten classroom to help students learn some new vocabulary and also to help them start recognizing letters of the alphabet in words that may not be familiar with.

[Barbara · Rating 4 out of 5]

Originally published in 2003, this reissued version continues to impress readers with its innovative approach to the alphabet. Each page features an object or animal associated with a particular letter of the alphabet, and that object is nestled inside a small cutout frame formed inside a thick black page. When readers lift that black page, they will find the appropriate letter of the alphabet. For instance, one yellow and one red balloon from the frame turn out to be the insides of the letter "B." Each page of this book necessitates repeated viewing as the mixed media illustrations are so cleverly wrought and so surprising that one look does not suffice. This is such a stunning, polished, impressive ABC book that readers' senses will be delighted.

[Catherine Hunter · Rating 4 out of 5]

"The Hidden Alphabet" by Laura Vaccaro Seeger is a captivating children's picture book that takes a unique approach to teaching the ABCs. Through clever die-cut pages and creative illustrations, Seeger transforms everyday objects into letters, making learning engaging and interactive. The book's vibrant visuals and inventive storytelling keep young readers wanting to explore each page. This book not only teaches the alphabet but also encourages kids to find hidden letters in their surroundings, making it an excellent educational tool. Parents and educators will appreciate the teaching opportunity and children will love its fun and imaginative illustrations and content.

[Zach · Rating 3 out of 5]

The Hidden Alphabet was an interesting read that I with my reading pal. For each of the letters there is a word association with it. Through a square cut out readers get a glimpse of the object. After opening the flap, readers are exposed to the full image.

I think this was a great read for readers that are just beginning. My reading pal enjoyed each of the images. However, there were a few more difficult words that the kindergarten student was unsure of. Overall, a very beneficial book that could be used in any lower elementary classroom.

[Taylor Hall · Rating 4 out of 5]

I gave this book the rating of 4 stars. I would say this book is a great way for young children to be interactive with a book as well as learning language acquisition. The author gives different words and more artistic illustrations than I have seen in any alphabet children's book. The only thing that was some of the author's attempts to make some letters creative looking may result in confusion for young children learning letters. Overall, the book was very engaging and include many aspects that children would be interested in reading.

[Hannah Garza · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Hidden Alphabet book is an informational text specifically an alphabet book. This type of book includes bright colors to keep the students interested as well as the alphabet. The purpose of this book is to introduce the alphabet to young students and beginner readers. This book in particular shows a picture of something that begins with a certain letter and when a fold on the page is lifted the letter is revealed. The book is interactive, but the students are also learning. I will definitely have this book in my future classroom. Recommended for Pre-K and Kinder. #Alphabet #Ilovetoread

[Jacqueline Hansen]

I really loved this book, and my favorite part is that it is so interactive which is great for young kids. Every page has a flip up page and it is great for kids to learn the alphabet with corresponding pictures. I would definitely use this book in a younger classroom for kids learning the alphabet and get them familiar with each letter and pictures starting with each letter. Each student could read a different letter and could be challenged to think of another word starting with each letter.

[Mama Bearian · Rating 5 out of 5]

This unusual alphabet book takes each letter and hides something that begins with that letter in it. For example, an ink blot helps make up the letter “I” and eggs help form the letter “E.” Reminding me of an optical illusion, it was fun to find how each item helped make its letter. Save this one for littles who already know and recognize their letters, though, because some of the letters look a little abstract.

[Kate Shapiro · Rating 4 out of 5]

I think the illustrations in this book are very interesting and I think if I was young enough to enjoy this a little bit more I would love trying to guess what letter represented what illustration. I think it is a great way for kids to learn the alphabet as well because of alliteration and the illustrations because every time you see a jigsaw puzzle they will also most likely think of the letter J because of the hidden alphabet book.

[Karla · Rating 1 out of 5]

Didn’t like this
At all.
It could be better
This is not the high quality piece I’d hoped to find
Pages are not durable for classroom usage
Illustrations are weak
Letters are not presented well- like the t in toast
Ukelele as well—- does not show the instrument as well as it should for conceptual understanding

[Erin · Rating 4 out of 5]

Visually beautiful alphabet concept book with flaps that reveal very interesting interpretations of the word that represents each letter. Some of the words are very high level for a reader young enough to be interested in alphabet concept books, in my opinion: inkblot, and quotation mark, for example (especially when the quotation mark doesn't really look like one). Worth a look through, though.

[Mother Goose Librarian · Rating 5 out of 5]

Each page contains a cut out window, in which an image appears. Lift the page to reveal its matching alphabet letter. Clever illustrations with a fun die cut. Perfect for an alphabet lap sit story time.

[Hailey Vittrup · Rating 5 out of 5]

*I received The Hidden Alphabet as a DRC. As I read this book, two words kept coming to my mind: clever and artistic. There were words listed for each letter, followed by the letters themselves in a themed design. It is a beautiful book for toddlers learning their letters.

[Jeshua · Rating 4 out of 5]

Genre: Alphabet Book
Grade: K
Fun way to get kids to remember letters, with fun patterns ingrained into each letter.

[Stacie · Rating 2 out of 5]

Sometimes the cutouts are cool. Sometimes they are a gimmick. This book was the latter.

[Meredith · Rating 5 out of 5]

Imaginative look at the alphabet.

[Elizabeth · Rating 3 out of 5]

Definitely tricked Jack on some.

[Zoraida Rivera Morales · Rating 5 out of 5]

Though it's a book published in 2003, the way it presents the alphabet is innovative, in my opinion.
Kids will enjoy lifting the flaps to see the letters. They will learn in a fun way.

[Diana · Rating 5 out of 5]

for letter and design lovers of all ages

[Nicole · Rating 3 out of 5]

My kid is obsessed with this but it's just the alphabet and I do not want to reread it again.

[Elaine Fultz, Teacher Librarian, MLS · Rating 4 out of 5]

New 2024 version is vibrant and wonderful.

[Andrea Damic · Rating 4 out of 5]

'The Hidden Alphabet' is a nice book teaching capital letters to children in a fun way. It's unusually written, not what you would expect from an alphabet book, very artistic which is what I like about it the most, with letters hidden behind closed 'so called' windows. To discover which letter is behind each window, you need to guess what the picture shows. In a way it's like a guessing game. It's quite fun and my 4 year old loves it.
For me personally it's a little bit disappointing that there are no small letters included as children are thought small letters first (at least in our pre-school and school system which makes sense as majority of things we read is written in small letters).
Overall, great book and would definitely recommend, especially if you want to interest your child in capital letters and have fun in the process.

[Shala Howell · Rating 4 out of 5]

Laura Seeger’s The Hidden Alphabet is a work of art posing as an alphabet book. Black lift-up flaps frame stunningly simple images of birds, mice, eggs, even quotation marks–setting these rather humble, everyday objects up as works of art in their own right. Lift the flaps and the objects reveal themselves to be a notch in a K, the hole in an R, or the curve of an S.

The book’s only text is the name of the objects in the black frame. The result is a blend of short, unimposing text and familiar images that encourages my daughter to try sounding out the words on her own.

That said, if you ask my daughter, she’ll tell you she doesn’t like this book because there is too much black on the cover. And in fact, she will never pick this book up off the shelf for herself (I have about 6 months of anecdotal data to prove this). At the same time, when we read this book this week, she was fully engaged, lifting the flaps, sounding out words, and critiquing the artist’s rendition of the various letters.

Even if this book left my daughter completely cold, I would still pull it out to read with her on occasion because the illustrations are that good. At one point, my daughter turned the page and said, “Wow.”

I say “wow” on nearly every page. This book is a visual feast. So why didn’t I give it a 5? The cover. We have an early edition of the book that uses a solid black sheet with boxes stamped out of it through which the letters of the title appear. Although my adult self understands completely and fully endorses the genius of this book’s cover, the nearly unrelenting black keeps my daughter from ever picking up this book on her own.

And that’s a problem.

Based on the Amazon listing, it looks like they’ve changed the cover for the more recent editions. Perhaps my daughter isn’t the only child who doesn’t want to read a book draped in all that black.

(Review originally posted at my blog: Caterpickles.com -- Scientific & Linguistic Engagement with a 4 Year Old Mind)

[Casey · Rating 3 out of 5]

1. Genre: Alphabet picture book

2. Summary: This is such a unique book about the alphabet. It includes simple pictures hidden underneath lift-up flaps. This is such a great book for young children who can explore in order to learn.

3. Critique:
a.) This story has wonderful illustrations that make for a unique story. The beautiful illustrations are so simple but the colors and the images that are used are wonderful.

b.) The thing that makes this book so great is the lift-up flap layout. This is such a great interactive book and would work wonderfully for toddlers who are learning their alphabet and colors, etc.

c.) The flaps are framed in solid black with a simple image involving the letter and when the flap is lifted a slightly more complicated image appears of the letter of the alphabet. My favorite letter was "Z." Framed outline in pure black with a small picture replication of a zipper; when the flap is lifted you see a really cool "Z" that is cleverly outlined in zipper and it looks like jeans material.

4. Curriculum Connection: This book is perfect to use for babies, preschoolers, and kindergartners for beginning to learn the alphabet. This is a great learning tool for babies because it's interactive. I know a baby or toddler would have so much fun lifting up each of the flaps to see what's underneath. I can just hear them giggling now!

[Devon · Rating 5 out of 5]

LIBS 642 PICTURE BOOK LOG
Category: ALPHABET
Source: 2004 ALA Notable book for Children

The Hidden Alphabet is a unique concept book that explores the lesson of the alphabet in a way never before done. Laura Seeger uses bright colors against a black background to vibrantly display letters and illustrations that are composed to create a collaborative understanding of letter recognition within words and objects. Each image is creatively covered by a flap that can be lifted to reveal its corresponding alphabet letter.

I love the way that Seeger created this book in an interactive way that allows children to regulate their own learning and discovery. This book does a wonderful job of exploring students wonder and imagination through its unique design and vibrant illustrations. I would recommend this book to all young readers who are learning their ABC’s, as well as all teachers who are teaching the ABC’s. I think this book would make for an effective tool in independent reading as well as in whole group read alouds, as each page brings to life a new set of wonder and discovery for everyone involved!

[Baylee Washburn · Rating 4 out of 5]

This interactive, engineered alphabet book provides readers with a new and innovative way to view the alphabet. A thick black frame surrounds each page and creates a window that reveals a picture beneath the frame. Each letter of the alphabet has a picture and word that matches. For example, the book begins with the thick, black frame surrounding a picture of an arrowhead for the letter A. The interactive and engineered aspect of this book comes into play as reader flips open this black frame and discovers that the picture (of the arrowhead, for example) becomes the letter A. The artistry of this book is innovative and engaging. When the reader flips open the black frame, it is exciting to see how the picture that was revealed through the window transforms into the shape of a letter from the alphabet. The illustrator uses several different patterns, colors, and textures to create the pictures that lie beneath the black frame. This gives each illustration a unique feel while the thick, black frame gives the book unity and cohesiveness.