A brief rhyme and a charming picture for each letter, understated at first glance, with a limited colour palette of subdued tones of pink and taupe with a vintage feel about it all… There’s a distilled complexity to this book’s delightful simplicity.
This was a labour of love by author Kate Bingham and illustrator Luke Martineau. The book has been designed by Kate Holland and published by Graffeg Ltd, 2011. When I recently posted this book review on Instagram, Luke Martineau responded to it reminiscing that the project began 15 years ago and the model for the subject of this book (Luke’s daughter) is now a university student! Time flies and our girls are growing into women and every one of them should read this deceptively simple yet very powerful alphabet book, so I am listing this in the ‘Home Library Essentials’ of this blog.
A companion “Every Boy’s Alphabet” has been produced by the same creators. I am yet to check it out and am certain it’d be as good!
In conclusion, let me quote the author’s website description of these books as I couldn’t have summed it up any better: “Every Girl’s and Every Boy’s Alphabet are destined to be collectable classics, in which sensitive observation and clever use of form combine to create two beautiful companion pieces. The affection visible in each of Luke’s characteristically fluid figures is matched by Kate Bingham’s tender and witty single lines, written to appeal to adults as much as to the puzzling younger mind. Although they treat the theme of childhood, Every Girl’s and Every Boy’s Alphabet are for all of us, capturing as they do so much that is true of boys and girls of any age. The perfect gift, these books are also a must for any collector of Luke’s and the two Kates’ work.” [1]
[1] http://www.katebingham.com/other-writing/every-girls-and-every-boys-alphabet/
