ALPHATHOUGHTS

Hopkins paves the way for children to think about the alphabet (and perhaps poetry as well), by offering one word for each letter and then a short, non-rhyming poem of definition that includes at least one more word also beginning with the letter. (“Pencils: Magical implements waiting for stories, poems . . . to pop out from head to lead.”) Some of the choices are obvious (“dogs” for D, “teacher” for T), while others will be more challenging for most children (“ornithologist” for O). A few of the poems are so short that they are really more of a poetic definition rather than an actual poem, but others are memorable and will likely show up in anthologies later. Baggetta’s vibrant paintings use a palette of glowing neon colors and lots of motion to add to the volume’s appeal. Her bright illustrations fill the pages, with the alphabet letter and featured word overprinted in bright shades and the related poem thoughtfully placed in a cloud, on a grassy hill, or spread across a peanut butter-and-jelly sandwich. Likely to be a popular choice for teachers to use in the classroom. (Poetry. 4-8)