A Mountain Alphabet

Ethel King-Shaw is professor emerita of curriculum and instruction in
the Department of Teacher Preparation, University of Calgary.

This alphabet book is intended to develop in young readers an
appreciation of the mountains of western North America. The story
unfolds like a multisensory hike to explore the majestic beauty of the
mountains. The focus is on wildlife, plant life, and sporting
activities.

Because the English language lacks phonetic consistency, it is
difficult to find examples of letters that have variable sounds in the
initial position, such as a, g, i, s, t, and u. Ruurs has done a better
job than most in presenting one phoneme at a time. The few exceptions
can easily be explained by an adult with some linguistic knowledge.

The illustrations are magnificent and contain a wealth of information
without being cluttered. Readers are encouraged to search for the
specific letter in the illustration in addition to finding several more
words that begin with the same sound. Highly recommended.