ABCs from Space: A Discovered Alphabet

PreS-Gr 1—There is a certain nerdy awesomeness to Voiland's photographic journey through the Roman alphabet—the sheer wonder of finding patterns in nature, especially ones that happen to resemble A's and B's. Voiland combed through countless NASA satellite images to find waterways, weather systems, and cloudscapes when compiling this collection. An ending key identifies each picture (A is Lake Mjøsa in Norway) and provides a detailed description (what satellite took the image, the date, and more). A world map is also featured. The photos are fascinating and the concept is intriguing, but the layout begs the question—who is this for? Will the presumed audience for alphabet books—preschool and early elementary—really be interested in flipping back and forth between the alphabet and image key? The process of locating and recognizing the pictures is the most valuable aspect of the book, but may very well be above the heads of most young readers.