Patrick Hruby

[This review has been edited and republished]

I saw the cover of this board book at ALA and it really grabbed my eye, but the book itself was disappointing. The idea of bright colors and geometric shapes was good, but the execution of the design is too complicated for a board book for small children. It gets very crowded and some of the more abstract shapes are hard to identify as the various plants and other garden things.

The book is a thick square, 9x9 inches, and has a lot of thick pages - show more it weighs almost a pound! I am a little doubtful about the binding of such a thick book holding up as well. It's from a small publisher and is more spendy than the average board book - about $10.

Verdict: I would have been more likely to purchase this as a concept book for preschool age kids, and when I did a little searching it looks like it is actually available as a hardcover, but as a board book it misses the mark. Toddlers and babies might enjoy the bright colors and geometrical shapes, but they are likely to have trouble identifying the objects and the weight of the board book is an issue, while the cost is more than most libraries will spend on a board book.

ISBN: 9781623260057; Published 2013 by Ammo; Borrowed from another library in my consortium show less

I received the galley to preview this book and I have to say as a graphic designer I am in love with it. The details, the colors, everything is amazingly beautiful. I really enjoyed flipping each page waiting for what would be next. I think that there were a couple of words though that were chosen that were a little odd for the age group and the theme of a circus, mainly Calliope and Xray. But those are the only two criticisms I have for an otherwise beautiful picture book.

The circus comes colorfuly alive in this eBook version of a children's ABC board book. With fun and interesting words such as 'Acrobats' and 'Daredevil', children will hear and learn words outside of their everyday language. Two things keep this concept from fullfilling the ideal online book. First, only one page displays per click, losing the goal of reading the letter and seeing the illustration at the same time. Each letter and conept requires two clicks. Second, while the illustrations show more are bold, some are so intense, such as 'M is for monkey', that it almost hurts to look at it because of its vividness and picture design. The illustrator plays with color and negative image creating interesting visuals not often seen in this type of book. The vocabulary is challenging but unique to circus life. Recommended for children ages 2-5. show less

Patrick Hubry's ABC is for Circus is a visually stunning kaleidoscope of color. The vintage-like pictures are an instant attention getter, and they get better and better with every turn of the page. Teaching your children their ABCs will no longer be a chore for them or you. The zebras, giraffes, elephants and fireworks provide a visual feast that will spur them to open this book again and again.