Collection: L M N O P and All the Letters A to Z Full Series

Where to begin with this book? Do I begin with the man who penned it? The illustrations? The contents? How about we just handle it in that order.

Howard has been engaged in the Waldorf education for over 30 years. He saw a need that wasn't being met and opted to fill the void with books. We all know the saying- if there's something you need and it's unavailable then you do it yourself. Howard has authored quite a few books some of which I'll be reviewing in upcoming posts. His books are both engaging and inspiring. He has a blog titled New Directions In Education. A very fitting title for a noble cause. What better time for our country to rethink education than the time at hand? It's time we take a new direction in education (borrowing that line, Howard. It's a good one).

Let's move onto the book itself. LMNOP is such a fun read. It's unique in its approach. I don't think I have read an alphabet book that is on the same note as Mr. Schrager's LMNOP. It's a fresh voice in a world of overused simplicity. I find it to be very engaging for my students. Some things presented in it encourage the child to sit and dwell on it. An example of what I'm talking about, "B is in bowl, bag, basket, and bin, All manner of places to keep berries in." Not only is rhyming used in the example but there's also spelling stuck in. This is a fact that your student will overlook unless their brain is engaged and they dwell on it, which I believe will be the case for a majority of readers. I do think this book makes for a lovely read aloud. The rhymes are so pleasant to the ear. Poetry is an art form and my personal opinion is that Howard has done an excellent job of bringing that form to life for children. They will find the alphabet thrilling, something to be explored. Wordplay comes to mind; they, meaning the children but, don't exclude yourself, will fall in love with words.

Moving onto the illustrations: o my! The illustrations are so beautiful. They match perfectly with Howard's rhymes. The imagination of Bruce Bischof, the illustrator, is fascinating. The creativity that is sparked from admiring the work excels your everyday rubbish in other children's books. I believe the pictures are created with watercolor. I'm not certain about that. That would be very Waldorfish if it is the case, fitting for the content.

Howard has also ritten a manual for LMNOP titled Working with LMNOP and All the Letters from A to Z Manual for Parents & Teachers. There are so many activities, stories, recommendations presented in this book that it's really worthy of a review all of its own. Perhaps I'll do that? Honestly, the manual is like 4 times thicker than the book. There is a lot of content included in it. I think it's a great resource for parents or teachers looking to make the alphabet come alive. You can't go wrong with adding this to your bookshelf. I'm going to share a tongue twister that I thought was so much fun to say: Of all the felt I ever felt, I never felt a piece of felt that felt the same as the felt felt when I first felt that felt

To sum this up I'm going to quote the summary on the copyrights page, "Twenty-six playful pictures and poems derived from original stories or borrowed from fairy and folks tales illuminate the letters of the alphabet for children." ~ Mrs Robin