Annotation Wednesday

A bit of author news. Sarah Dessen will be at the Politics and Prose Bookstore on Friday, October 9th to promote her new book, Along for the Ride. Hopefully I will be able to make it

It has hereby been declared annotation Wednesday so I give you my review of an ABC book.

MacDonald, Suse. Alphabatics. New York: Bradbury Press, 1986. Print.

• MacDonald’s unique way of retelling and relating the alphabet to young readers involves depicting each letter of the alphabet graphically transform into an object, or animal beginning with that letter. Repetition of this pattern guides readers through each letter of the alphabet from Ark to Zebra. MacDonald’s minimal layout makes good use of the page’s white space, placing an uppercase and lowercase letter, depicted in straight lines and bold colors, near the top of the page. The letter’s primary color is mirrored on the following page, identifying the name of the animal or object the letter has become. Secondly, MacDonald depicts the letter in a secondary, contrasting color which is also mirrored on the next page to illustrate the new animal or object, which is depicted with curved lines. This provides a connection between the letter and the objects and helps readers better comprehend MacDonald’s illustrations. Each small box that contains a letter represents a single frame of the transformation, indicating motion and action, as well as moving the directing the reader’s attention to follow the animated letter as it flies and bends. MacDonald’s co-dependent text and illustrations drive the reader to recognize and apply the connection between the illustrations and the text.
  

• MacDonald’s transition from straight lined letters to curved lined animals relates to the mood of the book, transitioning from formal and stiff to fun and playful. Her illustration style uses realism and graphics to realistically depict animals and objects. The mood is likewise upbeat and fun, giving readers a new way to learn the alphabet. MacDonald’s book is very educational for young readers learning the alphabet as she encourages them to use their critical thinking skills as opposed to manipulating simple object identification to teach the alphabet.