Anno's Magical ABC: An Anamorphic Alphabet

It was a lot of fun to look at the pictures--it'ss almost a challenge and I think that is what makes it appealing. I'm sure little kids would have a blast! (I did.) I think the effort of pulling out the glass and looking at the pictures makes the alphabet/word connection all the more memorable.

Mitsumasa Anno and Masaichiro Anno's Anno's Magical ABC: an anamorphic alphabet is a highly unconventional book. With a simple 180º rotation and flip, the book can be read from either end, with an uppercase alphabet in one half of the book and a lowercase alphabet in the other half. The letters of the alphabet and accompanying drawings are distorted and nearly unrecognizable, requiring a curved mirror to view in the proper proportion. (The book includes sheets of reflective silver paper and instructions for rolling them into tubes for revealing the "magic.") Though the format and the presentation are unconventional, the subject matter is highly conventional. Each letter, upper- and lower-case, receives a single page and is accompanied by a drawing of an object that starts with that letter. The correct spot for placing the mirrored tube is marked by a circular seal which includes a botanical drawing that also starts with the letter on the page. So, "a" is represented with an anteater and an apple; "g" is represented with a goat and a gentian; "T" is represented with a tiger and thistle; "W" is represented with a windmill and walnut. The father and son team did the drawings and the letters (respectively). Children who are already familiar with their letters will delight in their abilities to transform and manipulate the letters of the alphabet.