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CM . . . .
Volume V Number 6 . . . . November 13, 1998
Highly recommended.
Dave Jenkinson teaches courses in children's and adolescent literature in the
Faculty of Education, University of Manitoba.
To comment on this title or this review, send mail to cm@umanitoba.ca.
Copyright © the Manitoba Library Association.
Reproduction for personal use is permitted only if this copyright notice
is maintained. Any other reproduction is prohibited without
permission.
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TABLE OF CONTENTS FOR THIS ISSUE - NOVEMBER 13, 1998.
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Alphabet books, especially when they are wordless and in picturebook format,
are appropriately associated with young children, pre-readers in particular.
But Newfeld, via his subtitle, clearly alerts potential purchasers - teachers,
librarians and parents - that this is an alphabet book which is intended for an
entirely different and more sophisticated audience. Using an alphabet he
created especially for this book, Newfeld challenges his "readers" to identify
the creatures and items found in his illustrations that are connected to the
target letter which is presented only in upper case.. For example, "B," a
double-page spread, offers up 33 butterflies for specific identification plus
two "'B' creatures" in a hot-air balloon. In other cases, the puzzle is a bit
more obtuse. Some viewers may not, for example, immediately realize that "F"
provides an entire alphabet of fish from "Angelfish" to "Zu Cristatus." For
those unsuccessful in playing the identification game, a two-page "key"
concludes the volume. Neufeld's illustration media run the gamut, including
scratchboard, watercolour and pen and ink. Right from the amazing endpapers
which initially offer 25 letters of the alphabet and conclude with 24 versions
of "Z," the book is a visual feast, rich in colour and images. Perhaps the
biggest difficulty with institutional purchases of Creatures will be
deciding upon appropriate shelving so that the book finds its correct audience.