Alphablock

Every letter gets a full two spreads in this chunky abecedarian, in which die-cut versions of the letters serve as alternating pages. Franceschelli uses the familiar “A is for...” construction, and the spreads provide visual clues about the conclusions to each sentence. On the D page, the tail end of a dog can be seen through the open center of a red capital D; turning the page reveals the dog in full, as it happily tracks muddy paw prints through a retro-chic room with checkered floor. The straightforward vocabulary, cheery vintage-style graphics, and neat incorporation of cut-out letters make for a sharply designed package. Ages 1–4. (Aug.)