26 Letters and 99 Cents

Hoban's name is synonymous with creative and carefully crafted concept books for young children. This newest offering in arresting full color is really two books in one. 26 Letters is a delightful ABC handbook. Each page shows two letters (in both upper- and lowercase) paired with objects from airplane to zipper. Turning the book around reveals the even more creative 99 Cents. Here Hoban clearly shows youngsters how to count by pairing photos of numbers with pennies, nickels, dimes and quarters in a variety of combinations. The book counts by ones from 1? to 30?, by fives from 30? to 50?, by tens from 50? to 90?, culminating in 99?. Math concepts are extremely difficult to convey, while explaining nickels, dimes and quarters is harder still. An extremely inventive approach that will be hailed by parents, teachers and librarians. Ages 3-8. (March)