Let’s Go ABC! Things That Go, from A to Z

Greene, Rhonda Gowler. Let’s Go ABC! Things That Go, from A to Z. New York, Bloomsbury Children’s Books, 2018.

Let’s Go ABC! Things That Go, from A to Z is written by Rhonda Gowler Greene and illustrated by Daniel Kirk. It is an alphabet book designed for children ages 2 to 5. This is an appropriate age range for readers.

The story begins straight away. When the reader opens the cover, they are greeted with an image of the alphabet stacked on a truck. There is a beginning spread introducing the readers to the topic in a rhyming pattern… “On land or track, in air or sea, we’re transportation – A to Z.” Each letter is followed by a rhyme with a transportation object beginning with that letter. For example, readers learn ”Inside the sea, I whisper-sneak. I’m sly. By periscope, I peek. Shhhhh… I’m a…. Submarine!” It then moves through the alphabet in order. The format is similar with rhyming lines with a clue to the word, followed by the repeated phrase, “I’m a/n…” Greene is able to pair up almost all the letters with an object, eXcept one.

If I had to characterize the illustrations in one word, it would be fun! The story is told over 16 spreads. The illustrations are realistic and match the movement described in the text. The artist, Kirk, uses 3-D techniques to give dimension to the images. He shows movement via altering the size so the object appears in motion. For example, the jeep appears to be driving toward the reader; the ambulance and firetruck look like they are speeding towards an emergency. The images and text locations are altered, which adds interest. For example, the helicopter is higher up on the page with the text below. It’s reverse for the Iceboat. The artist includes additional images throughout the book to complement the highlighted letter e.g., puffs of smoke in the shape of the letter “O” coming out of the ocean liner and the tiger driving the Taxi.

Let’s Go ABC! is an alphabet book that is entertaining and fun. It’s a perfect book to read out loud at story time to introduce the alphabet. The rhyming pattern is perfect for singing and the repeated phrase, “I’m a…” invites the listeners to shout out the object. It works very well as a print book. It’s easy to hold and the images are big enough to see.