The Letters Are Lost: A Picture Book about the Alphabet

by Lisa Campbell Ernst, Lisa Campbell Ernst (Illustrator)

Overview

Once upon a time, all the letters of the alphabet were together. But now they're lost! One showed up in the Bath. There was one under a Hat, another one on a Quilt, and even one in the Sandbox. Where are the rest? Readers will delight in finding out in this vibrant, charming introduction to the alphabet. "Inviting and stimulating." ? Publishers Weekly

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780140556636
Publisher:	Penguin Young Readers Group
Publication date:	01/28/1999
Edition description:	Reprint
Pages:	32
Product dimensions:	8.94(w) x 10.00(h) x 0.11(d)
Lexile:	280L (what's this?)
Age Range:	2 - 5 Years

Editorial Reviews

Alphabet blocks and other toy-chest habitus star in this pleasingly designed ABC primer, which opens with the wooden cubes carefully arranged in a wagon. "But time passed. First one block disappeared, then the next.... The letters are lost! Come, let's find them, one by one." A roundup of the missing toys reveals that "A flew high in an Airplane. / B tumbled into the Bath. / C joined a family of Cows," and so on. Alert readers will notice other letter-related objects in each illustration; for instance, when "M admired himself in a Mirror," a Moon is visible on the woodblock's reverse side, and a Mouse peers into the glass as well. Ernst (Little Red Riding Hood: A Newfangled Prairie Tale) frames each scene in a square, and every alphabet block serves both as a pictograph and as an active participant in the illustration. The artist softens the rectangles' hard edges by outlining them unevenly in black ink and filling each shape with muted, warm watercolor hues. Inviting and stimulating. Ages 2-6. (Mar.)

Publishers Weekly - Publisher's Weekly

Old-fashioned, wooden letter blocks form the inspiration for this cheerful alphabet book. The images are bright and bold, yet comforting rather than brash. These accessible illustrations are coupled with an intelligent typestyle that is actually large enough for little ones to pick out letters. Surprise creatures whose names also begin with the same letter are tucked unobtrusively into most pages of the alphabet. This is a very pleasant book, with a sense of humor behind the simple story line.

Children's Literature - Kathleen Karr