Helen Oxenbury's A B C of Things

by Helen Oxenbury

Illustrations of various things accompanied by appropriate labels introduce the letters of the alphabet.

Genres: Picture Books, Childrens

55 pages, Hardcover

First published June 1, 1972

About the author

Married to John Burningham

Born in 1938 and growing up in Ipswich, England, Helen Oxenbury loved nothing more than drawing. As a teenager, she entered art school and basked in the pleasure of drawing, and nothing but drawing, all day. During vacations she helped out at the Ipswich Repertory Theatre workshop, mixing paints for set designers. It was there that she decided her future lay in theater design.

While studying costume design, however, Helen Oxenbury was told by a teacher, "This is hopeless, you know. You ought to go and do illustrations--you're much more interested in the character, and we don't know who's going to play the part!"


But sets and scenery, not books, remained Helen Oxenbury's preoccupation for several more years as she embarked on careers in theater, film, and TV. After marrying John Burningham, another of the world's most eminent children's book illustrators, and giving birth to their first child, at last she turned to illustrating children's books. "When I had babies," Helen Oxenbury says, "I wanted to be home with them and look for something to do there."


Today, Helen Oxenbury is among the most popular and critically acclaimed illustrators of her time. Her numerous books for children include the Greenaway Medal-winning ALICE'S ADVENTURES IN WONDERLAND and its companion, ALICE THROUGH THE LOOKING GLASS, both by Lewis Carroll; Smarties Book Prize-winning FARMER DUCK by Martin Waddell; SO MUCH by Trish Cooke; as well as her classic board books for babies. More recently, she collaborated with author Phyllis Root on the jubilant, no-nonsense tall tale BIG MOMMA MAKES THE WORLD. "As I read Phyllis's text, I imagined Big Momma as part Buddha, part housewife," she says. "It was intimidating to create a whole world, but very enjoyable."


And what does she love most about her work? Thinking up new ideas? Seeing the finished book? Not at all. For Helen, "The best part is when I think I know what I'm doing and I've completed a few drawings. In fact, when I get about a third of the way through, and I feel I'm on my way, then I'm happy. It's like reading a good book--you don't want it to end."


Helen Oxenbury and her husband make their home in London, where the illustrator works in a nearby studio. She is also an avid tennis player.

Reviews

[Madison Daub · Rating 2 out of 5]

For an ABC book I read Helen Oxenbury's ABC of Things. I read this book because it was one that I found at the library. I just thought this book was ok. It was a good book for preschool children when they are learning the alphabet. There were pictures and different vocabulary words that went along with each letter. The illustrations of the book were very cute and fun for young children to look at. I did not think this book really stood out to me from other books. It was very similar to other alphabet books. The words on the pages help to describe the picture on the page. I would suggest reading this to a young group of children when they are starting to learn their alphabet. It can be helpful to have to pictures that go along with the letter and I think that Oxenbury portrayed that in her book.

[Emma Adams · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good pictures .useful for children learning the alphabet.A..an ant on an apple,B baby,baker,bear bird C cafe,crow ,cat ,candles,cake
K kangaroo,kite..the unlikely combinations of words in the picture may be what attracts the reader and helps then picture the same letters. Fun and would appeal to child's eye.