Work

July 15, 2014
Need inspiration for career day? Here's one solution.Hatanaka sets himself a challenge: pairing each of the 26 letters of the alphabet with an occupation. The one-word text naming the occupation is set against a graphically clean, deceptively simple scene that is representative of the type of work. A large letter is incorporated into the picture. B stands for "butcher." A man wearing an apron chases two raccoons that have run off with a string of sausages; a large B appears in the row of shop fronts in the background. L for "lumberjack" depicts a man swinging an axe at the top of a large letter L as a beaver gnaws at the bottom part. Most of the choices are unexpected and far from elementary: F for "forest ranger," K for "K-9 officer," N for "naval architect," W for "wedding singer" and X for "xenologist." A two-page key of "Want Ads" in the backmatter offers one-sentence descriptions for each career, but they tend to be rather too clever and are not always particularly helpful: "Ice cream vendor. This is a cool job with sweet benefits"; "Xenologist. This is a job that's really out of this world."Nevertheless, the sophisticated design and use of white space give the book flair, and it can be an effective springboard for use in the classroom. (Picture book. 5-8)

COPYRIGHT(2014) Kirkus Reviews, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

September 1, 2014

PreS-Gr 1-Using imaginative illustrations and rich vocabulary, Hatanaka introduces children to exciting future careers. The book features an occupation for each letter. However, these are no ordinary jobs; they are often adventurous. Readers won't find that "B" is for baker in this book. Instead, they will find that "A is for Aviator," "N is for Naval Architect," and "X is for Xenologist." There is a "want ad" section of the book that shares a small amount of information about the various occupations. More information in the section would have been helpful, especially in explaining what a horticulturalist does, for example. The sophisticated illustrations pair nicely with the content. The colors are muted and have plenty of detail for kids and parents to pore over; the xenologist illustrations are particularly imaginative. Adults looking to share a worldly ABC book full of high level vocabulary will enjoy this fun read.-Kris Hickey, Columbus Metropolitan Library, OH

Copyright 2014 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

September 15, 2014
Preschool-G Occupations from aviator through zoologist are highlighted in this breezy alphabet book. Each selected job is identified only by the word itself, and there are some occupational dooziesfor example, xenologist, a scientist who studies aliens from outer space. The clues to what the jobs are all about come via Hatanaka's engaging cut-paper-like illustrations. The showcased letter might be part of a landscape, as in the A that appears as a mountain that an aviator has just flown past, or the L that resembles a tree that a lumberjack is hacking away at. The letters can be part of cityscapes, toosee the butcher chasing two raccoons who have made off with a string of sausages through a town that includes a B building. The letters are often cleverly echoed by the figures in the illustrations, like the cyclists hunched over their bikes, their bodies forming C 's. Some of the words will, of course, be over the heads of children, but that doesn't mean it isn't still fun and absorbing.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2014, American Library Association.)