Alphabet Town

Alphabet Town by Bryan Evans, illustrated by Kimberly Moon (New Frontier Publishing)
PB RRP $14.95
ISBN 9781921928277
Reviewed by Vicki Stanton


Originally electronically published under the title How It Came About, Alphabet Town is an original concept that will fascinate young children learning the three 'r's. In a place called Knowledge are little towns each inhabited by particular people. In the town of Alphabet live Letters. In another town live Numbers and among the Numbers lives Zero but 'nobody took any notice of the Number Zero because she didn't amount to anything'.

Disheartened, Zero heads out into the world of Knowledge and meets Spot from the town of Punctuation who reminds her that '(e)verybody amounts to something. It's up to each one of us to find out what it is.' When Zero and Spot stumble upon Alphabet, they discover that everyone does indeed have a purpose. Letters can become words, sentences, books and then libraries and that numbers can amount to more than nine. But Spot is the most important of all.

The accompanying illustrations are bright and colourful and add to the quirkiness of the story with the personification of the letters, numbers and punctuation. This book could be a very useful teaching resource and one that will have everyone thinking about how words, numbers and language is formed.

Numbers; Colours

Numbers and Colours, designed and illustrated by Orla Kiely (hardie grant EGMONT)

HB RRP $16.95

ISBN 978-140525856-2 (Colours) 
978-140525855-5 (Numbers)

Reviewed by Lillian Rodrigues-Pang

Colours and Numbers are the first two books in a series by designer Orla Kiely. She is one of the U.K.’s most eminent designers, with a very distinctive style. She uses strong and earthy colours, simple lines and graphics that are reminiscent of the 1950’s era.

Being design driven the choice of materials are distinctive and lovely to touch. Both of the books are cloth covered, each board is thick and easy to turn for little fingers and the boards are matte varnish. They are very appealing and the quality would indicate long lasting.

The two books sit together well as a set, offering the same spread of colour and graphics in use. Each incorporates a two-page spread of full colour making every turn of the page pleasing.

Colours offers a range of tones for any one colour along the right hand side of the spread. The layout of the graphics is lovely with each both large and small images complimenting each other and offering more for the child to discover on the page.

Numbers uses a range of familiar objects in a variety of strong colours that are presented playfully on each two-page spread.

These books are attractive for both baby and parent.

How It Came About

How It Came About by Bryan Evans, illustrated by Kimberly Moon
ebook $2.99
Reviewed by Vicki Stanton


How It Came About is an original concept that will fascinate young children learning the three 'r's. In a place called Knowledge are little towns each inhabited by particular people. In the town of Alphabet live Letters. In another town live Numbers and among the Numbers lives Zero but 'nobody took any notice of the Number Zero because she didn't amount to anything.'


Disheartened Zero heads out into the world of Knowledge and meets Spot from the town of Punctuation who reminds her that '(e)verybody amounts to something. It's up to each one of us to find out what it is.' When Zero and Spot stumble upon Alphabet, they discover that everyone does indeed have a purpose. Letters can become words, sentences, books and then libraries and that numbers can amount to more than nine. But Spot is the most important of all.


The accompanying illustrations are bright and colourful and add to the quirkiness of the story with the personification of the letters, numbers and punctuation. This book could be a very useful teaching resource and one that will have everyone thinking about how words, numbers and language is formed.


View How It Came About at http://www.epubbud.com/books.php?u=bryanevans