My First ABC

by Metropolitan Museum of Art (Compiler)

In this abridged board book edition of the successful hardcover picture book, Museum ABC , kids can learn their ABCs with the accompaniment of stunning artwork from The Metropolitan Museum of Art. A page is devoted to each letter of the alphabet and a single, memorable picture of the object is represented; for example, the classic "A is for APPLE" is accompanied by a well-known piece of art by Cezanne showing apples. Adults will love the visual and cultural richness of this alphabetical tour, which also includes details about each piece of art and its creator in the back. And with rounded edges and a smaller format, this is a perfect fit for younger children just learning the alphabet.

Genres: Art, Childrens

32 pages, Board Book

First published September 1, 2009

About the author

The Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York, (colloquially, the “Met”) is the largest art museum in the United States.

It was founded on April 13, 1870, "to be located in the City of New York, for the purpose of establishing and maintaining in said city a Museum and library of art, of encouraging and developing the study of the fine arts, and the application of arts to manufacture and practical life, of advancing the general knowledge of kindred subjects, and, to that end, of furnishing popular instruction."

Reviews

[L.E. Fidler · Rating 4 out of 5]

my kids love this book. LOVE it. we count apples, eggs, boats, people. we sound out words. we mistake f is for foot for f is for toe. it's great.

so why not five? because x is for "ex". SERIOUSLY?

have some self respect.

[picturethisbook.com · Rating 4 out of 5]

Instead of the usual alphabet book using boring photographs, or illustrated by one or two artists, why not use the existing works of some of the world’s greatest artists to introduce babies and toddlers to the world of art? Behold: My First ABC by the Metropolitan Museum of Art. Instead of the usual photo or cartoon apple for the letter A, you get a still-life painting by no less than Paul Cezanne; for D, the word ‘dancer’ is illustrated using The Dancing Class by Edgar Degas.

Each letter is illustrated using the work of a different artist and the choices are varied, unexpected and intriguing — there’s even a wall painting from Ancient Egypt! Only the relevant part of each painting is shown to help babies focus and identify the object being highlighted, but a useful index is included at the back with thumbnails of the full paintings and information about their origins.

It's never too early to expose children to art. After all, who says age is a factor in the appreciation of art and/or beauty?

Visit our website for more reviews on great children's books.

[Sascha · Rating 4 out of 5]

Our two year old has loved this book for the last year, and we love it, too! It's a great way to introduce art and spice up the illustration game for the learning-the-alphabet-crowd.

My one reservation, as noted in another review: X does not stand for "ex". C'mon, The Met, get it together! I realize that letter is a real pain, but you can't just throw a non-word that starts with another letter in there in protest.

[Terralyn · Rating 3 out of 5]

A great concept to introduce a more cultural way of teaching ABC's. Unfortunately, the colors are so muted that they aren't at all eye catching for a toddler on the move. The words associated with most of the pictures are not first words and are complicated for small children. Pretty for adults but not so great for little ones.

[Janet Weber · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a clever concept for an ABC book. It even had info about each piece of artwork at the back. You just don't see that in board books!

[Indira · Rating 5 out of 5]

beautiful book
thank you selma!

[Mckinley · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wonderful art.