Alfred's Alphabet Walk

by Victoria Chess

As he encounters animals from A to Z, Alfred learns the letters of the alphabet.

Genres: Picture Books, Childrens

Hardcover

First published January 1, 1979

About the author

Victoria Chess is an American children's author and illustrator. Born in 1939 in Chicago, and raised in Washington, Connecticut, she studied art at the Kokoschka School of Art in Salzburg, Austria and at the Boston Museum School. She has illustrated more than one hundred books for young people, including Slugs by David Greenberg, Tommy at the Grocery Store by Bill Grossman, and The Scaredy Cats by Barbara Bottner. She lives in Cambridge, MA and the south of France.

Reviews

[Melki · Rating 3 out of 5]

I'm not sure exactly what Alfred is. He's got small ears, a flat face, and a tail. I'm going to classify him as a lovable monster

When told by his mother one day to study his letters, Alfred decides to learn from nature, rather than a book, and sets off to discover the "alphabet" around him. It's an eventful journey as he is Ogled by some Odd, Old Owls On an Oak branch, and chats with a Venomous Viper, who offers him some Violets.

You get the picture.

And, speaking of pictures . . . Chess's illustrations are pretty cute. They remind me just a bit of Edward Gorey prints that have been colored. Interestingly enough, it appears that Gorey and Chess have worked on two books together - Fletcher and Zenobia and Fletcher and Zenobia Save the Circus.

I'm thinking only Gorey would even consider naming a character Zenophobia.

[spookybelle · Rating 2 out of 5]

Alfred is a ??? His mom thinks that you can only learn things by rote. She tasks him with learning the alphabet from a book. Albert ignores her and goes for a nature walk. He learns the alphabet along the way by experiencing it instead of memorizing it. But in a bizarre twist, YOU, the reader, are learning the alphabet from a book while reading about his adventure. His mother is pleased to find that he now knows the information she deemed important despite her best efforts to beat out of him any love of learning.

Perhaps the best part of this book is the utterly disturbing "kangaroo" that looks a little like a William Steig/Edward Gorey collaboration.

[Madeline Clements · Rating 3 out of 5]

This isn't a book I would read to the children for pleasure. It helps them with their ABCs and would be good for them once they begin reading.

[Karen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Loved the alphabet part. Not so happy with the example of disobedience to children.