A Helpful Alphabet of Friendly Objects: Poems (by John Updike)

Who can see the poetry in a vacuum cleaner and a shoelace? Pulitzer Prize-winning author John Updike, and he inspires his readers to see it too. His photographer son provides page after page of kid-centered images. This collection could easily become a childhood favorite.

 

This book is a refreshing change from typical children's alphabet or poetry fare. It assumes what most kids already know: To get their attention, you've got to appeal to their imagination and creativity. Any book that likens an icicle to "tiger teeth" and describes a vacuum cleaner as "the nosy old hummer" that "bump-rubs every corner / so every crumb / of dust and fuzz vanishes / into its hum" definitely does just that -- and more.

In addition to the music of Updike's poetry, one read-aloud group loved the photos, abundant images of kids with familiar objects that inspired discussion about the listeners' own experiences. And the endpages, which got almost as much attention as the rest of the book, feature color-block squares with alternating alphabet letters and photos from the book's main pages. At least four members of the audience made a game out of matching the letters to their corresponding objects.

Author: John Updike
Illustrator: David Updike
Publication date: January 1, 1995
Number of pages: 40
Hardcover price: $16.00