A IS FOR AMOS

Soft colors and small, rounded figures in Narahashi’s paintings add extra appeal to this alphabetic horsey ride. Leaping atop her rocking horse, Amos, a young daydreamer crosses a “bumpity bridge” with a “clippety clop,” gallops through fields, up and down a hill, and back to the “extra dry” barn as sunny skies give way to rain clouds. The partly rhymed text, with featured uppercase and lowercase letters in boldface, creates an evocative rhythm to underscore the playful pretend outing. (Picture book. 4-6)