ABC: A child's first alphabet book & 123: A child's first counting book by Alison Jay

I loved Alison Jay's Welcome To The Zoo, and was pleased to discover she has written some other lovely picturebooks. At first, her ABC book appears to be the traditional "A is for apple, B is for balloon" fare, accompanied by her trademark cracked backgrounds and spreading landscapes. A closer look shows a plethora of additional alphabet art. Each picture includes multiple items matching the appropriate letter, as well as hints for the next landscape. Several of the stories incorporate Mother Goose rhymes and miniature stories. The back of the book includes a list of all the alphabetical items on each page.

Jay's counting book has a Mother Goose or folktale on each page, from the Three Little Pigs to seven magic beans for Jack and the Beanstalk. The pages include multiple items to count and go up to 10 and down 1 again. The back includes a list of each fairy tale pictured.

These concept books include hours of enjoyment for both small children and parents, searching for the stories and items in each picture. These books are both available as board books, although I would prefer to add them to the library as picturebooks, since the complex art and pictures will have appeal to older children as well as toddlers. I'm looking forward to getting a look at Alison Jay's new concept book, Red Green Blue.

Verdict: Added to my wishlist to fill in my worn concept collection. Recommended especially for concept collections, but also fun for toddler storytime.

ABC
ISBN: 978-0525475248 (only edition currently in print is board book); Published 2005 (board book edition) by Dutton; Borrowed from the library.

123
ISBN: 978-0525478362; Published September 2007 by Dutton; Borrowed from the library.