Review - An ABC of Flowers

An ABC of Flowers
by Jutta Hilpuesch
Date: 2019
Publisher: Philomel Books
Reading level: C
Book type: picture book non-fiction
Pages: 32
Format: e-book
Source: library

Step into the garden and learn your ABC's with this colorful feast for the eyes!

From asters and daisies to roses and sunflowers, An ABC of Flowers is a colorful burst from the garden that will have little hands eager to grab. Filled with gorgeous photo illustrations, bold colors, and clever line art featuring a miniature-sized girl named Amelie, toddlers will laugh and be mezmerized by the book's vibrant pages.

Perfect for the youngest readers learning their ABC's!

(synopsis from Goodreads)

This is a visually appealing alphabet book that, unfortunately, falls short on a few levels.

First, I don't ever want to see apostrophe usage like this. Apostrophes don't make plurals. I don't know why writers can't get this through their heads. (I'm having flashbacks to A Thousand No's.)

Second, I'm not loving some of the choices. I'm impressed the author managed to find a flower for X, but some of the other more obvious choices weren't used. M is for mum, which is presumably short for chrysanthemum (or maybe xeranthemum... there's your X!). Why not go with a flower that actually starts with an M? Monkshood? Magnolia? Morning Glory? Also, the entry for Queen Anne's Lace had me scratching my head; the only stuff I've ever seen is white, and this was pink. Apparently, it can be pink when it's budding, but why use a photo of an unfamiliar growing stage?

The pictures are cute enough, with little illustrated figures interacting with the flower photos. I don't really have any complaints there.

I love the premise, and I'm impressed that the author was able to find a flower to go with all 26 letters of the alphabet. But parts of the execution leave something to be desired. Maybe if it hadn't referred to "ABC's" I might not have been so annoyed.

Premise: 4/5
Meter: n/a
Writing: 3/5
Illustrations: 3/5
Originality: 3/5

Enjoyment: 2/5

Overall: 2.83 out of 5