r’s note: Blogger was acting a fool yesterday and I wasn’t able to post. That and my wicked time management skills also prevented me from posting. Either way, sorry for the late review!
I am a sucker for an alphabet book so I was pleased to snag a copy of Debra Frasier’s “A Fabulous Fair Alphabet“. Inspired by the sights she experienced at the county fair, this book is an explosion of vivid colors. Each letter represents an activity or area associated with the county fair and forget lazy letters sitting idly on the page. The letters pop and almost leap of of the page to engage readers. Forget ‘A’ being for apple, or ‘Z’ for Zebra ( and the equally annoying ‘Zzzzzzzzz’) in this book we are treated to juicy vocabulary while we are transported to the fair. Of my favorite pages, I particularly enjoyed ‘R’ which boasts a roller coaster made of ‘R’s’ roaring across a track and ‘I’ for ice cream with the letter ‘I’ sprinkled over the page like a yummy topping.
General Considerations:
This book is great for a range of ages. For the youngest readers the letters splashed across the page are a terrific introduction to the alphabet or supplement for learned letters. Older readers will enjoy the activity of the letters. For example ‘S’ (for slide) slips down a huge slide and ‘Q’ (for quilt) showcases blocks of ‘Q’s’ that look like a quilt*.
When reading aloud, I first read through the suggested script from Debra’s website. I liked using the script she provided but I also enjoyed reading the book as if I were a carnival announcer and calling out each letter. In addition to the script, there are ideas and activities for schools and libraries, suggestions for companion books and some games. What a stunning treat!
Check it out from your library or purchase it directly from Debra’s website.
Getting ready for the fair,
-r
*I can already foresee a program of collages, photos and more to make personalized books.
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