Alphabet City
Stephen T. Johnson
Viking, 1995

Alphabet City is a great visual introduction to city design thinking. In this Caldecott Honor Book, artist Stephen T. Johnson finds capital letters in urban compositions we usually take for granted. A construction sawhorse is the letter "A"; bridge trusses form the letter "N"; a sidewalk tree plot resembles a "D"; and so forth. Some of the letters are obvious while others appear subtly.

The letters are depicted with vibrant and vivid pastel and watercolor paintings, with some of the paintings approaching photographic realism. They will have young readers taking closer looks at the various forms of their own urban environments. Johnson's concept and talent as an artist make Alphabet City a valuable picture book for acquainting children with urban design.

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