Stephen T. Johnson

I really enjoyed this unique perspective on an alphabet book; the concept of abstract art is maybe a little vague for children to understand, though I might not be giving them enough credit! I guess I'm thinking of the typical audience for alphabet books, primary level kids, mostly.

But anyway, whether one fully understands the ideas behind perception and representation, etc., kids can surely have a lot of fun trying to pick out the letters in each art piece and also in trying to think of show more words that the pictures represent. I had a lot of fun trying to guess the words the artist would use in each caption before I looked down at it.

A very unique, highly interactive alphabet book to spend a lot of time with! show less

Creative, unique, and interesting counting book. A different take on your regular numbers/counting book. City by Numbers takes the reader through a journey of hidden numbers in urban landscapes. Each page the reader must uncover the hidden number in its natural position in the city landscape. The illustrations are fresh and playful. The reason I enjoy this book so much is that the numbers do not stand out clearly, one must discover the numbers. There is a level of critical thinking needed to show more find these numbers but that is the fun of discovering the numbers. Once reading this book many children will look at their surroundings a bit differently to see if they may discover hidden images in their daily routine. A great book for children and adults.
Ages 6 and up. show less

This book was just photographs of different parts of the city that were shaped like the letters of the alphabet. such as a using a sideways traffic light as an 'E' or a bridge to make an 'M'. The different perspectives made this book possible in order to get every letter. I enjoyed this because I've often found myself playing this game in my head while I'm walking through the city.

I love abecedaria and this is beautiful one - and a Caldecott Honor Book to boot! The premise is simple and hardly original: to collect letters of the alphabet hidden within the urban landscape. The Zs of a fire escape, the G of a lamp-post's ornamentation, the N of a bridge's trusswork, the A of a sawhorse...

Stephen Johnson's paintings are lovely vignettes of the physical props to urban living: handrails, shadows, light fixtures, brickwork, pipes, windows, brackets, and flagstones. The show more paintings are realistic without being too photographic and their colour palette conjures urbanity as both grit and mystery. This book has no words - only capital letters. show less