3-D ABC: A Sculptural Alphabet

by Bob Raczka

Teaches the alphabet through pictures of various sculptures, including a metal horse for the letter H and a giant walking man for the letter G. Reprint.

Genres: Art, Picture Books, Nonfiction, Childrens, Juvenile

32 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2006

Reviews

[Alison · Rating 3 out of 5]

Another good introduction to art. This book focuses on sculptures. It contains photographs of sculptures from around the world.

[Beth · Rating 3 out of 5]

Cute book with photos of sculpture for each letter of the alphabet. Would be fun to read with a kid.

[Shannon · Rating 4 out of 5]

Amazon Book Descripton:
As in other titles in the strong, ongoing Bob Raczka's Art Adventures series, this book works on many levels. Preschoolers will enjoy the well-reproduced color photographs of sculptures, arranged in an alphabetical format according to the basic shape of each piece ("A is for Arrow," "B is for Bicycle Wheel," and so on).

Additional text imparts admirably simple observations and information, including basic terms: "A sculpture can have moving parts. This is called kinetic sculpture" reads a passage next to Jean Tinguely's Chariot MK IV.

The thoughtful juxtaposition of images adds further meaning to each selection, and the lines on each page flow together into a smooth whole that reads aloud well. Most of all, Raczka encourages kids to approach sculpture by reinforcing the message that there are no wrong answers to the question of what a sculpture represents: "A sculpture can mean different things to different people, or it can mean different things to the same person on different days, because the more you look at a sculpture, the more you see." Gillian Engberg

[Themountainbookie · Rating 3 out of 5]

An easy way to introduce art. All of this is sculpture art. Kids enjoyed it. The pictures are older so the book feels a bit dated.

[Shelby Everitt · Rating 2 out of 5]

This ABC book shows children the ABC's using real sculptures the author photographed. The pictures are bright and colorful and the author provided a nice description of each picture. The problem I had with this book is that it was not very appropriate for the audience. ABC books are typically for children learning their ABC's and this book had really complex language and opinions in it that I think are too much for young children. For this reason, I would not teach with this book but I would keep it in my classroom because I did like how it shows children to notice letters in our everyday lives.

[Michelle · Rating 4 out of 5]

I used this book as a read-aloud for a K-6 craft program focused on sculpture. The kids had a better grasp on sculpture after reading it. The pictures are great and the text is very informative. However, I would not use it as an alphabet learning tool, but I don't think it was created as such anyway.

[Kayla · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book was a lot different than most alphabet books. The author did a great job when picking out a thing for each letter. I am sure the students have never seen these items under these letters in other alphabet books. Most of the items are sculptures that are in 3D. I liked going through each picture and see what they came up with for all the letters.

[Kelly Powell]

This book was a new and interesting take on connecting pictures or objects to the alphabet. I appreciated that the pictures are from things that really exist and that people have created. Not only did Bob Raczka connect sculptures to the letters in the alphabet, but he also added a sentence to explain the sculpture a bit.

[Amanda Pless · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a fun book on sculpture. This book also teaches students their ABC’s and a little about sculpture. This book is more for the elementary students but I know a few secondary students who would love this book.

[Beverly · Rating 3 out of 5]

It is truly unbelievable what some people consider art: a vacuum cleaner hung on a wall? junk glued together? a bicycle glued to a stool? any idiot could have made those "sculptures." Other sculptures in the book are creative and clever.

[Marian · Rating 4 out of 5]

An alphabet of sculptural terms and photographs, Fun!

[Shannon · Rating 2 out of 5]

This isn't a thrilling book, but it's going to be great to use as a follow-up to our art lesson about Jim Dine and our literacy lesson about using text features.

[Tiara · Rating 2 out of 5]

Use of modern art through ABC format; not what i was hoping for.

[Heather Ligman · Rating 3 out of 5]

this is a cute, very easy read book. it has single line descriptions of sculptures that work from a to z

[Karen · Rating 3 out of 5]

My five-year-old son picked this book out from the library last week. He loves ABC books.

The concept for this book was exceptional; the execution of the concept was not.

[Crystal · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love the fun sculptures that are in the book and enjoyed learning about the various types like kinetic and relief. It doesn't hurt that one of my favorites is on the cover.

[Megan Miller · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a neat concept book for older kiddos. All the pictures are different artistic sculptures. A is for arrow,G is for giant, J is for junk.

[Robin · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great book to use for "Explore Art" program!

[Kelly · Rating 5 out of 5]

A unique way to learn the alphabet through art.