Product Description

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #38592 in Books
• Published on: 2006-07-25
• Released on: 2006-07-25
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 32 pages

Features

• ISBN13: 9780805081121
• Condition: NEW
• Notes: Brand New from Publisher. No Remainder Mark.
• Click here to view our Condition Guide and Shipping Prices

Amazon.com Review
The only one having a better time than the buck-toothed Mouse in Alphabet Under Construction is Denise Fleming, the gifted writer and illustrator who here brings back the hungry hero of Lunch for a trip through the alphabet and an arts-and-crafts roll call.

Letter by letter, page by page, the playful Mouse "constructs" the alphabet--airbrushing the A, buttoning the B, carving the C, and so on, employing all manner of scaffolds, ladders, and high- and low-tech devices to get the job done. (Clearly Mouse didn't really blow his budget until near the end, on the custom tiles, the X-ray machine, and the welding equipment.) Fleming employs an arcane process that involves "pouring colored cotton pulp through hand-cut stencils" to create her distinctive style. But fortunately, you don't have to have any idea what that means to enjoy her sense of humor, her vibrant colors, and her boisterous compositions.

Mouse gets messy before it's all over, but he delivers the alphabet on time--and only has to work two weekends! (As a funny touch, Fleming includes a note-covered project calendar that Mouse collapses under as he finishes.) Alphabet Under Construction also includes a fold-out, 42-by-7-inch poster that shows every page, from A to Z. (Ages 4 to 8) --Paul Hughes

From Publishers Weekly
Mouse, the rambunctious rodent first seen in Fleming's Lunch, returns in this concept-book salute to hands-on (or, in this case, paws-on) creativity. Beginning at the beginning the letter A, of course Mouse fashions letters by means of various arts and crafts. Fleming has embraced the broadest definition of "construction" to include such activities as sawing, gluing, buttoning, icing (as in a cake) and quilting. Young children will no doubt enjoy seeing Mouse scurry sometimes humorously splattered with materials from one letter to the next, although they may puzzle over a few of the scenes. A few of the entries strain to fit the overall theme as when Mouse X-rays the X, Yanks the Y and Judges the J. The always playful, exuberant mood of Fleming's handmade-paper artwork, however, remains intact. Her broad range of dynamic, intense colors envelops readers with its sunny warmth. Ages 2-5.
Copyright 2002 Cahners Business Information, Inc.

From School Library Journal
reSchool-K-One very active mouse constructs an alphabet with 26 sturdy verbs. Several of them may be unfamiliar to the preschool set-airbrush, dye, judge, level, quilt, tile, weld, or X-ray-but the art, combined with a helpful adult, should make the meanings clear. The vibrant illustrations "were created by pouring colored cotton fiber through hand-cut stencils" and have appealing texture and intense color. Though the text is limited to verb/letter ("folds the F, glues the G," etc.), the art (A and Z have spreads) is the strength of this offering. Mouse, who first appeared in Fleming's Lunch (Holt, 1995), is an enthusiastic builder though a bit untidy. Novice students of the alphabet may be enticed into constructing their own alphabets and/or gathering their own set of verbs. A worthy addition to the sea of ABC books.
Jody McCoy, The Bush School, Seattle, WA
Copyright 2002 Cahners Business Information, Inc.

Customer Reviews

Creative, Inventive, and Lots of Fun.....
Dear little mouse has a big job to do, building the entire alphabet with art supplies and construction tools, and he gets right to work Airbrushing the A, Buttoning the B, and Carving the C. And as he moves quickly, letter by letter, Folding the F, Measuring the M, Pruning the P, Vacuuming the V, or Zipping the Z, little ones will revel in all the creative fun. Author, Denise Fleming's text is kept to a bare minimum, just the letter and construction verb. It's her big, bold, and vibrant artwork, dazzling with entertaining details and engaging humor, that makes this book stand out. Perfect for preschoolers, Alphabet Under Construction is not just another "learn your letters" picture book, but an imaginative and inventive, joyous romp that shouldn't be missed.

Fleming does another great one
Fleming's art is fantastic--her abstract art works really well here in this context. A wonderful romp through the alphabet with the mouse from Lunch--witty variations on what to do with each letter as the mouse tries to build the alphabet in order (action verbs introduce each letter: the mouse kinks the "k" and vacuums the "v"). The book also comes with a poster--a nice addition for those who like Fleming's work. Highly recommended.

There Are Better Alphabet Books Out There
Although normally a Fleming fan, I was extremely disappointed in Alphabet Under Construction. For babies and toddlers just beginning to learn the alphabet, Fleming's illustrations make it difficult to discern letter shape. Particularly problematic is the letter "W", in which Mouse welds a bar of steel between W's two interior angled lines. Unfortunately, this means that the inside of the W appears to be an "A". My two year old misidentifies the "W" as an A every time, and technically, he's correct. Ultimately, the illustrated letters are too abstract for children learning their alphabet. Unlike another commenter, I believe that this book is more appropriate for children who have already mastered the basics of the alphabet and are simply building on that knowledge: namely, preschoolers.

For babies and toddlers, there are better introductory alphabet books out there.