The book design and concept for Maria Van Lieshout’s Backseat A-B-See is a clever variation on the typical alphabet book and a great example of environmental print as this alphabet is composed entirely of road signs. Van Lieshout’s digitally created illustrations are very simple and somewhat stylized, featuring white lines on a black background to evoke the road, capital letters in large white font, and large, colorful road signs all of which are very striking against the black background of each page. Each road sign is selected as a representation of the alphabet letter in environmental print, but young children will not make the alphabet connections without help, especially since some of the signs are more obscure than others. While children will very likely be familiar with the “S” in the “STOP” sign, they may not understand the “Junction” sign for letter “J,” also, choices like the “Q” for the “Duck Crossing” sign are bit of a stretch and may be confusing to a young child. There are a few clever details, the child in the backseat at the beginning of the book is asleep by the end, and the end page at the back of the book features an image of a “wrong way” sign. Although advertised as a book that would be great for use with toddlers, I don’t feel this book would be developmentally appropriate for toddlers at all, or as a basic introduction to the alphabet. Instead, it might be an interesting example of environmental print for slightly older children and would be a fun addition to a transportation themed story time for preschoolers or perhaps as a suggestion for shared use with a kindergartner embarking on a long road trip. Backseat A-B-See is a bit of an update of Tana Hoban’s I Read Signs, which is fantastic and still works but also looks a bit dated. Lieshout gives us digital illustrations rather than photographs. The endpapers are a top-down view of a road (genius), and (further genius) she has an author’s note on the first page in a caution sign and a “WRONG WAY” sign blazing on the back endpaper. From there, we see a child and parent heading off in a car, finding signs that correspond to each letter of the alphabet, making this a concept book on more than one level. It teaches signs (the first things many children learn how to read) and the alphabet, and its bright, bold colors make it a good book for teaching colors as well. There’s some great vocabulary in here, too: “heliport,” “junction,” “merge.” For “Q,” Lieshout writes “quack” on a duck crossing sign. This is the kind of book you can see a child sitting through five million times. My only concern with it is the way the book is put together. Our copy was processed in July, and the stitching’s already coming apart. The pages also don’t nestle just inside the book in a way that is pleasing and a little kinder to their fragile edges. This is less a concern for home use, but I do think libraries will find themselves repairing it.
What do You think about Backseat A-B-See (2012)?
Utilizing road signs in the process of teaching children the A,B, C's. Well executed concept.
—carlosdgalarza
Notes:each page has a letter and corresponding traffic sign (O for One Way)
—yaide07
Just when you think you've seen every ABC book concept. Nicely done!
—Tara
Great book for environmental print and/or alphabet!
—aliciafj1
