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Sleeping Bear Alphabets
W is for Windy City: A Chicago City Alphabet
Lake Shore Drive, the Magnificent Mile, Navy Pier...just the mention of these iconic sights conjures up a skyline known the world over as the Windy City. Welcome to Chicago! And there's no better guidebook to the city than W is for Windy A Chicago Alphabet. Following the alphabet, the city's character and familiar landmarks are fully captured in poem and expository text. A is for Art Institute or Adler Planetarium. And if we want a "triple A," we'll add the Shedd Aquarium. Young readers can marvel at the treasures on display at the renowned Art Institute, go window shopping along Michigan Avenue's mile-long Magnificent Mile, or take in an afternoon game at Wrigley Field with the Chicago Cubs. W is for Windy City brings this famous city to life.A faculty member in the Department of Education at Judson University in Elgin, Illinois, Dr. Steven L. Layne is a respected literacy consultant and keynote speaker, working with educators and children at schools and conferences throughout the world. With more than 20 years as an educator, Deborah Dover Layne has worked at elementary and middle school levels and has been a reading specialist. Currently, she is an elementary principal in Elgin. The Laynes live in St. Charles, Illinois. Rhode Island School of Design graduate Michael Hays teaches illustration and drawing at Columbia College and lives in Oak Park, Illinois. Judy MacDonald and Michael started Painted Pony Studio in Chicago several years ago, each of them bringing their own unique style to the drawing table while illustrating books and creating art for children.
- GenresPicture BooksChildrens
40 pages, Hardcover
First published April 8, 2010
2 people are currently reading
23 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews
May 25, 2013
"W Is For Windy City: A Chicago City Alphabet," by Steven L Layne, is a beautifully illustrated alphabet book about Chicago.
We picked this up at the library and my 4 year old really likes it. The illustrations are lush and interesting and the main text is attention-keeping and snappy, easy to read aloud. There's a sidebar that explains more about the topic of each letter, which you can chose to read aloud or not. I haven't been reading it aloud, but have been using it as a resource to answer questions abut the featured topic on each page. Part of the appeal of the sidebar text is it takes a pretty simple book and makes it more interesting for a more advanced reader... they can check out the picture, read the shorter text, but also have longer and more interesting text as well.
This is a great alphabet book, especially for kids with a connection to Chicago.
We picked this up at the library and my 4 year old really likes it. The illustrations are lush and interesting and the main text is attention-keeping and snappy, easy to read aloud. There's a sidebar that explains more about the topic of each letter, which you can chose to read aloud or not. I haven't been reading it aloud, but have been using it as a resource to answer questions abut the featured topic on each page. Part of the appeal of the sidebar text is it takes a pretty simple book and makes it more interesting for a more advanced reader... they can check out the picture, read the shorter text, but also have longer and more interesting text as well.
This is a great alphabet book, especially for kids with a connection to Chicago.
May 25, 2011
I'm a sucker for history of almost any kind, even children's books, if they are well-written. This one, "W Is for Windy City: A Chicago City" doesn't disappoint. The short poems for each letter of the alphabet range from cute and clever to a bit of a stretch, but they deffinately enhance the story of Chicago being told. In short, each letter of the alphabet is represented by at least one item in the city that begins with that letter: such as the "El" train system for "E", Lake Michigan and Lake Shore Drive for "L", "S" is represented by the famous Sculptures Chicago has, and the Brookfield and Lincoln Park Zoos represent the letter "Z". In addition to the drawings and the short poems, there are paragraphs of a goodly length talking about the items representing the letters. For example, on the "S = Sculpture" page, there is a paragraph about the unnamed Picasso sculpture in Daley Plaza, another with details on "The Flamingo" sculpture done by Alexander Calder and finally a paragraph about the Cloud Gate, AKA "The Bean".
I think that children of a variety of ages from 1st graders all the way up to 7th graders (the middle school grade where American History is typically first taught) would find this history of Chicago of interest and use. It is a well-written, well-researched and interesting book. For students who can handle books of greater depth and more scholarly research, this book could be used to wet their appetite or help them discover if this topic is one that they wish to investigate further, without intimidating them with hundreds of pages and a lack of pictures, on the contrary, "W Is for Windy City: A Chicago City" (and others of its ilk, there are tons of similar books on a multitude of themes as well as one for each of the 50 states) is full of colorful pictures and is very inviting.
I think that children of a variety of ages from 1st graders all the way up to 7th graders (the middle school grade where American History is typically first taught) would find this history of Chicago of interest and use. It is a well-written, well-researched and interesting book. For students who can handle books of greater depth and more scholarly research, this book could be used to wet their appetite or help them discover if this topic is one that they wish to investigate further, without intimidating them with hundreds of pages and a lack of pictures, on the contrary, "W Is for Windy City: A Chicago City" (and others of its ilk, there are tons of similar books on a multitude of themes as well as one for each of the 50 states) is full of colorful pictures and is very inviting.
December 9, 2012
The City of Big Shoulders, the City That Works, Chi Town or just plain The Windy City; Chicago is a city that is filled with many notable landmarks and people. In this ABC book we get more than just a way to learn our ABC’s. The book is organized to note the most notable places and people not just in Chicago but that are related to Chicago from A to Z. One unique feature of this book is that the reader is not just given a person, place or thing that matches a letter of the alphabet. On the side of each page there is a side note giving more in depth information on the subject. The illustrations in the book are very eye-catching. They are not picture but drawings and they manage to capture the essence of Chicago.
This book is appropriate for students in primary grade levels and up. Teachers can use this book with younger children to help them not just learn their ABC’s and associate it them with something about Chicago but also be used by older students as a research tool. Even though I was born and raised in Chicago W is for Windy City thought me some things that I didn’t even know about the city.
This book is appropriate for students in primary grade levels and up. Teachers can use this book with younger children to help them not just learn their ABC’s and associate it them with something about Chicago but also be used by older students as a research tool. Even though I was born and raised in Chicago W is for Windy City thought me some things that I didn’t even know about the city.
July 25, 2012
This alphabet book is filled with bountiful information about the wonderful City of Chicago. It is written in poetic fashion and carries the reader from page to page with whimsical illustrations that pop out at the reader. Each colorful page features informational sidebars about important people, places, and events that are pertinent to Chicago’s history. The author of this text wrote with authority on Chicago history through his extensive research and accuracy on the subject matter as documented in the book. This book is great for readers of all ages as they expand their knowledge on the history of Chicago in a different writing style. I was able to meet Steven Layne at the International Reading Convention in Chicago in the spring. Check out his website he is an amazing author, teacher, and professor.
March 24, 2014
Great illustrations, rhyming parts for the kids and interesting facts in the margins for the adults.
As a resident of Chicagoland, this is a fun book to help kids learn their alphabet and learn about one of the greatest cities in the world!
As a resident of Chicagoland, this is a fun book to help kids learn their alphabet and learn about one of the greatest cities in the world!
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews