Alphabet by Matthew Van Fleet

Title: Alphabet

Author: Matthew Van Fleet

Reading Level: Baby - Preschool

Hardcover: 20 Pages

Publisher: Simon & Schuster / Paula Wiseman Books

In an attempt to introduce the concept of alphabets to the teeny ones, Matthew Van Fleet takes us on a fun-filled safari ride showcasing a wide array of animals and plants in this multi-textured, touch-and-feel sturdy board book. Not only does he accomplishes what he sets out to achieve, he far surpasses one's expectations. Touch-and-feel books are great for young ones, but what you have here is unlike any other. 

Toddlers will find endless ways to interact with this book. They would delight in pulling and pushing tabs, scratching tongues, smelling bugs, and touching and feeling a variety of textures. There is so much to look at, not to mention touch, sniff and feel in this book. Young ones will be surprised to spot some rarely heard animals like Swinging Uacaris, Waddling Warthogs, Tweeting Xenops and Sleeping Zorillas (Yeah, not Gorillas). Furry Lions roar, Whiskered mice squeak, Shiny Parrot fishes swim and newborn Nightingales cheep. Octopuses are sticky, Jaguars are spotty, Frogs are bumpy and Dragonflies are shimmery. The different textures, colors, scents and pull-outs will provide a great sensory experience for the little ones. My daughter has tremendous fun squishing the insides of the clam, scratching the cougar tongue, touching the sticky Octopus and pushing the slide so the newborn nightingales could open their beaks to eat their food. Toddlers tend to be curious creatures. They love to pull, push and poke at everything, including books. To their frustration, we always teach them to be gentle with books. But, they can pull, push, poke, scratch and sniff all they want with this book. You, as a parent, will find yourself grinning ear to ear in response to that. Do you think they can pull it off something like that with the picture books out there? Not only that. This is one terrific book that provides exactly the kind of stimulation the little ones are looking for. You can have hours of fun with it. Trust me :)

My Rating: 5/5