The Family Bookshelf
By Bob Walch

"A Is for Art: An Abstract Alphabet"
(Simon & Schuster) by Stephen T. Johnson

The Audience: For children ages 5 to 9 who have an interest in art or just love a riot of color.  (40 pages)

The Issue: This vibrant picture book will raise the reader's consciousness of shape, form and color.

The Content: Caldecott Honor artist Stephen Johnson's paintings, sculptures and collages will delight the young artist. Utilizing an alphabet book format, Johnson's literal renderings of each letter, complemented by witty titles and playful alliterative captions, will have the reader coming back to this volume again and again. Also, don't forget to challenge your child to find the hidden letter in each abstract illustration.

For older children, hopefully this book will provide the inspiration to try their own hand at a little abstract art.

The Message: It is never too early to introduce a child to some of the basic elements of artistic composition.

Before retiring, Bob Walch taught English in Santa Barbara and Carmel for 39 years. His reviews of children's literature appear in Central Coast newspapers and on line at the Reading Tub, Roundtable Reviews, My Shelf and Parent Click.