Jen's Next Ten Alphabets All Around

(See also Jen's first ten alphabets. Many of these are new releases since then!)

Backseat A-B-See by Maria van Lieshout (Chronicle, $7.99)
I particularly like seeing "Detour" and "End Detour" on facing pages.

LMNO Peas by Keith Baker (Simon & Schuster, $7.99)
It's career day for the peas!

A is for Activist by Innosanto Nagara (Seven Stories Press, $9.99; also available in Spanish)
Also, there's a cat.

Rad American Women A-Z: Rebels, Trailblazers, and Visionaries Who Shaped Our History... and Our Future! by Kate Schatz, illustrated by Miriam Klein Stahl (City Lights, $14.95)
U is for Ursula! (Le Guin)

Take Away the A by Michaël Escoffier (Enchanted Lion Books, $17.95)
"Without the I, stairs lead to the stars..."

Animal Parade A to Z wooden puzzle (Begin Again $39.99)
Twenty-six detailed and interlocking pieces!

A is for Art Museum by Katy Friedland and Marla K. Shoemaker (Temple University Press, $18.95)
Just to be clear, this is the Philadelphia Museum of Art. So you go to the museum, and, voilà, there's the art from the book!

How to Build an A by Sara Midda (Workman, $17.95)
With foam blocks (included).

These last two I haven't actually seen in real life, but they look promising:

The Construction Alphabet Book by Jerry Pallotta (Charlesbridge, $7.95)
Because beautiful pictures, and while I haven't see all the text, the language I have seen is gender-neutral.

The Turn-Around Upside-Down Alphabet Book by Lisa Campbell Ernst (Simon & Schuster, $17.99)
Because it's nice to get a new perspective.

Jennifer Sheffield, July 2015

Janet's Five Unrelated Picks for July

Our Souls at Night by Kent Haruf (Alfred A. Knopf, $24.00)
Haruf's writing is beautiful in its simplicity. As two older adults find comfort in each other's company, once again life's complexities intervene.

Spool of Blue Thread by Ann Tyler (Alfred A. Knopf, $25.95)
Eccentric characters set in Baltimore; Anne Tyler weaves a tale of intergenerational irregularities.

Leaving Time by Jodi Picoult (Ballantine Books, $16.00)
A grieving mother, leaving her daughter, spends the remainder of her life studying elephants and their response to loss.

The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up by Marie Kondo (Ten Speed Press, $16.99)
The one "clutter" book worth purchasing with uniquely specific tools to simplify your surroundings and your life.

What Pet Should I Get? by Dr. Seuss (Random House, $17.99)
Coming out on July 28th, Dr. Seuss' discovered story addresses the difficulty of having choices and the inevitability of ultimately having to choose.

Janet Elfant, July 2015

Star Wars Epic Yarns!

From the authors of Cozy Classics, we now bring you Epic Yarns! The first installment: A New Hope.

Authors Jack and Holman Wang have returned with their charming felt figures to recreate Star Wars Episode IV. It's all here, the Death Star, the garbage chute, light sabers and X-Wing fighters, the entire story in twelve words with beautiful, detailed illustrations rendered entirely in felt.

Stop by Big Blue Marble Bookstore and get your copy today!

It's a felt wookie. I mean, who can resist?