Review by Publisher's Weekly Review
Viano's S Is for Salmon (2014) focused on the flora and fauna of the Pacific Northwest. Now she celebrates a more expansive landscape, captured in crisp images cut from black paper and colored digitally. Tidy black rectangles frame each illustration, accompanied by brief captions with intriguing details; on the page for H a spiral of tiny herring, set against a subdued blue backdrop, "keep safe by swimming together." Elsewhere readers can learn the scientific name for lightning bugs (Lampyridae), that ants like to hang out in the petals of Queen Anne's lace, and that wild violets can be found sprouting under dead leaves in the spring. An emphatic love of nature courses through the book, starting with its dedication, "to all of those who let children run a little wild, climbing trees and splashing in puddles." Ages 2-5. (Oct.) © Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.
(c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved
Review by School Library Journal Review
PreS-Gr 1-Appealing to older children who may already know their ABCs, Viano takes readers through a nature-filled walk through the alphabet. Shades of moss green and pale blue dominate the palette. The pages are framed in a bold black border. The upper- and lowercase form of each letter are included, though the word featured on each page is written in all capital letters. Viano uses sophisticated, vocabulary-stretching words to present information ("A cloud is made of water droplets suspended in air."). Sentences range in complexity from simple declarative statements to longer, more complicated ones. The strength of this book lies in the captivating artwork that looks like woodcut but was actually created by cutting away from a sheet of black paper to reveal shaped and lines. VERDICT A solid alphabet book for the older picture book crowd.-Blair Christolon, Prince William Public Library System, Manassas, VA © Copyright 2015. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
(c) Copyright Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Review by Kirkus Book Review
Viano interprets the letters with dramatic paper cuttings in a sophisticated, artistic style. Each page is bordered in black with stylized images that resemble poster art of the early 1900s, but they are crafted with a contemporary graphic style with striking results. The words chosen for the letters all relate to nature, as the subtitle suggests. Most of them will be familiar to young readers such as "dandelion," "fawn," "grass," "lightning bug," and "violet." Pleasingly, K is for "kids," underscoring the importance of the outdoors to child development. Viano's liberal approach makes the typically difficult letters relatively easy: there is "Queen Anne's lace," "underground," and "lynx" (for X). The top of each page cites a capital and lowercase letter, with the key word opposite and descriptive sentences running across the bottom that often offer tantalizing facts. "This NEST belongs to paper wasps and is made from a mixture of chewed-up wood and spit." The images are similar to Nikki McClure's, made by cutting black paper and then coloring the resulting negative space digitally. The swirling school of herring is simply astounding. While adults are more likely to appreciate the artwork than children, the elegance of the images will leave an imprint with even very young listeners. Rate this book with an A and an O for awesome and outstanding. (Alphabet book. 3-8) Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
