Peter Blake's ABC Book

I have to admit I did not know who Peter Blake was when I picked up this book from the library to read to my daughter. I chose this book because it seemed like a straightforward ABC book with pictures that would appeal to an almost-two-year-old. Many of the pictures are standard alphabet fare: a is for apple, z is for zebra, etc. However, in between, there are occasional surprises: v is for viking, and p is for Punch (as in Punch and Judy). The pictures were all taken from Blake's own collection, so looking through this book is a little like looking through a garage sale or an antique store--many well-used objects that will inspire nostalgia in the adult readers. In fact, this book is better suited to browsing than to learning letters and letter sounds. (G is for gnome and k is for knot will just confuse kids who haven't discovered the joy of silent letters yet.)

Personal note: I own a bank exactly like the one pictured on the "L is for locomotive" page. What a fun surprise to turn the page to a piece of my own childhood!