Rocky Mountains Alphabet Book

Kelly L. Green is the co-editor of the Children’s Literature edition
of the Canadian Book Review Annual.

This alphabet book doubles as a well-drawn coloring book. With her
alliterative, clever, and simple sentences (e.g., “In the fall black
Bears eat berries.” “Fireweed grows after a forest fire.”),
Alberta naturalist Cyndi Smith has created an ideal activity book for
the busy learning-to-read crowd, who also happen to love coloring. The
book’s drawings are simple but accurate and informative. Children will
be challenged to use every color of the natural world as they fill these
pages with wax or ink. Smith sometimes gives the young artist color
clues—the eagles, for example, are “golden,” and Kinnikinnik
berries “bright red.”

This book will both entertain children and educate them about the Rocky
Mountain ecosystem. Recommended.