A Helpful Alphabet of Friendly Objects

John Updike brings the same care to a children's alphabet book that he brought to his novels — and it shows. Each letter pairs a short poem with a full-color photograph by his son David, many featuring Updike's grandchildren. The poems are linguistically playful in specific, thoughtful ways: the knot poem meanders on the page like string, the dog-and-cat poem uses shifting typefaces as sound effects, and the letter Y represents 'You,' placing each child reader inside the alphabet. Adults reading this aloud will enjoy it as much as children, which is the mark of a genuinely well-made picture book. The caveat: the text sophistication may be too much for the youngest alphabet-learners, and it's harder to find in print than more commercially prominent ABC books. A literary delight for the right audience.