P Is for Peanut: A Photographic A-B-C

Many alphabet books go for cute and don't give a child much to think about or talk about with the parent reader, but this one does. Each photo is evocative and in its way complex, while still doing the basic job of rehearsing the letters. As for the choice for "P", I naturally asked Dr. Peanut whether he thought it was good to feed peanuts to elephants. He said yes, as long as it's not a Talking Peanut. But that's just one peanutrician's nutty advice. Nutty to Meet You! Dr. Peanut Book #1

I fell in love with this book! It's a rare find: suitable for the living room table and a bedtime story for children. The photographs are so evocative and the text whimsical. My son and I read it over and over. He also enjoys the section in the back of the book called: "Do You Know", that gives a sweet summary of subject and/or photographer. I've gifted this book to my son's teachers, and many friends, both with and without children. It's truly a special book.

P is for Peanut is an ABC book for children featuring striking black-and-white photography; each letter of the alphabet is associated with a word, and an unforgettable image. "L is for lucky / M is for manners / N is for neighborhood" have pictures of balloons at a fair, sloppy spaghetti-eating, and a large assembly of children, respectively. Of especial interest are the "did you know?" notes with fun facts about each photograph. For example, the "did you know?" for "Neighborhood" is "Joe Schwartz loved to photograph the neighborhood he grew up in. Taking pictures was his way of keeping a diary." A memorable book for adults to share with young people and help them learn their letters.

The concept of an A to Z book has been done many times, sometimes successfully (Chris Van Allsburgh, Edward Gorey), more times not. This one is not only fresh, but an instant classic. The photographs, chosen from a large stock of vintage master works from the Getty Museum, are often stunning, the words chosen for each letter often surprising, the quotes that grace each page often clever, and the layout (especially the typesetting) jumps out from every page. Brilliantly done, and enjoyable for both parents and children.

this is a beautifully presented collection of photographs, each one accompanied by a clever phrase or word that leads the reader towards further exploration of the photographs. A pleasure for all ages.....