FOUND ALPHABET

A first US publication for its Polish creators, this alphabet pairs playful verses—“This silver mouse is made of tin / She’s very strong though rather thin / Unlike all other mice and rats / She spends her spare time chasing cats.”—with big color photos of familiar animals or objects constructed from found materials: gears, watch springs, sticks, leaves, rusty tins, wire, sugar cubes and other bric-a-brac. The bright, clear images and relatively simple language make this a good candidate for reading aloud to either single listeners or groups. Moreover, unlike Walter Wick’s more elaborate assemblages, the pictures may prompt younger children to think, “Hey, I can do that!” (Picture book. 5-7)