Eh? to Zed: A Canadian ABeCedarium by Kevin Major

Major, K. (2000). Eh? To Zed: A Canadian abecedarium. Alberta, Canada: Red Deer Press.

Summary

This ABC Concept book shows its readers a variety of words starting with each letter of the alphabet that the author felt best represented Canadian culture, history, or their heroes. Some references are obscure, while others are more famous. The back of the book contains a reference list; where the author defines each word to help the reader better understand its meaning but also its importance to Canada. Additionally, the illustrator has presented an explanation for his work in the book.

Advisory Information

-Themes

a. Emphasis on Culture: Kevin Major focuses on examples of Canadian culture to emphasize certain letters. For example, for “K” he includes Komatik, which is an Inuit sled, or the importance of hockey in Canadian culture by including Wayne Gretsky and Zamboni.

b. History: Major also focuses on Historical Events, such as Montreal’s Expo in 1967.

c. Heroes: Major looks at famous Canadians such as Louis Riel, Nancy Greene, and Nellie McClung to name a few.

-Age Recommendation:

I think while the pictures and the short words could appeal to all ages, the understanding of the text would be a better fit for juvenile readers aged 5 – 8.

-Other Information:

This book was illustrated by Alan Daniel.

Reaction:

I really enjoyed the illustrations of this book. They were completed as if the illustrator was assembling a collage of different types of pictures to represent the words. I also think that the book is dependent upon the reference list in the back. Since the words are not necessarily recognizable, even some Canadians would benefit from its explanations. Ultimately, this book is a good example of a concept book which has multiple tools for children to learn from.

City 123 by Zoran Milich

Milich, Z. (2005). City 123. Toronto, Ontario: Kids Can Press Ltd.

Summary:

This counting book captures urban pictures that display numbers and an example. To further explain, the page for the number three has a picture of a cement mixing truck showing three wheels and the number 3 on one of the engine parts. On the opposite page is the written word three and a counting line with dots under the numbers one through three. In between each couple of numbers there is a picture of the numbers in consecutive order up to that point.

Advisory Information:

Themes:

a. City life: This book displays pictures of a city, complete with buildings, food, cars, and sports.

b. Number Concepts: This book reinforces learning numbers and applying those numbers to things that children see everyday.

-Age Recommendation:

I think that this book would be suitable for a larger group of young children, namely between the ages of 3 and 8. This is because children as young as three can begin to associate numbers with the pictures, while older children can begin to apply what they learn from these books to what they see in everyday life.

-Other Information:

Zoran Milich is a photojournalist, who also took the pictures for this book. He dedicated the book to the firefighters of Engine 8, Ladder 2, who were on scene at the World Trade Center on September 11, 2001.

Reaction:

While the concept of this number book is not original, I think that Zoran Milich’s book, City 123, is an interesting take on the genre. The pictures are large and colorful, and while they are not of anything spectacular, the honest representation of urban living is intriguing. The author does not sugar coat city life, but nor does he try to paint a dark picture, rather he takes ordinary objects and things to reinforce numbers and everyday objects that children could connect with.