VEHICLES ABC

An alphabet-based vocabulary builder organized on the theme of “things that go.”

It’s tough rating one book of this sort “outstanding” in contrast to the countless similar offerings on the market, but this one rates at least a “pretty good.” The presentation is appealing in its simplicity. Each of the 26 pages features its respective letter in both upper- and lowercase; these are hand-lettered in a blocky print and colored to contrast with the background. Each letter appears with a vehicle, name clearly printed on the page; in all but one case, the vehicle begins with the corresponding letter. The bright, colorful artwork is not particularly realistic, but it hits all the right signals for easy recognition by toddlers. All of the old favorites are featured: ambulance, bulldozer, digger, and helicopter, for example, but part of the book’s appeal is in its thoughtful vocabulary-expanding selections as well. Cc is for “carriage,” for example, Ee is for “electric car,” and Gg is for “galleon,” for example. Many of the vehicles are alphabetized by modifiers that denote function (“ice-cream truck”), appearance (“jumbo jet”), or ownership (“naval ship”). Wondering about Qq and Xx? Think “Queen Mary” (the ship, not the monarch) and “express train” (the only vehicle whose name doesn’t begin with the letter it illustrates).

A well-curated things-that-go abecederary.