Marcie Baron has taken the standard ABC colouring book and dressed it up, creating a spiral-bound, keepsake photo and art album for today’s book buyer who demands over-the-top production. Under each letter of the alphabet (two letters per page) is a square, die-cut peek-a-boo flap that opens to display a photo or drawing. These graphics are supplied by the reader and are slipped into position from the side of the page. Spiral binding makes the book lie flat for easier use. Parents who believe strongly in early stimulation and who take their bonding and interaction seriously will love this book. It is ideal for the dedicated, hands-on parent who is willing to spend time working with a young child and who cherishes and preserves the child’s experiences. Down-to-earth, old-fashioned parents will probably reject it as gimmicky, and will question why flaps and accompanying pictures are included in a book that is to be illustrated, since photo albums and sketch pads traditionally come with blank pages. These parents, and libraries whose copies will be returned to them “decorated,” will bypass this book.

The production value is top-drawer, but the concept has a few minor hitches. The openings are smaller than a standard 4- x 6-inch photo, which means photos must be trimmed, which won’t appeal to many who are raiding the family album. In addition, the flaps, hinged at the bottom edge, have no device to hold them shut once they are opened, conjuring up images of the book bulging with bent, hanging flaps. Hinging the flaps at the edge closest to the spine might have helped overcome this problem.

Each letter of the alphabet is accompanied by a bright, full-colour illustration. June Bradford’s drawings are engaging and age-appropriate, although some subjects are not easily recognizable (the chameleon under “C” looks like a green lizard), while others are not immediately obvious (an illustrated sailboat is really a yacht for “Y” – a stretch for a child). On the inside back cover the drawings are repeated with their appropriate words, which should help the confused.