Steven L. Layne is a best selling children's author. He has teamed up with his wife Deborah Dover Layne to write several alphabet books for Sleeping Bear Press. The latest published in 2007 is P is for Princess: A Royal Alphabet. The illustrations in this beautiful book were done by the husband and wife team of Robert and LIsa Papp. This is not only an alphabet book for small children, but is a book that could be enjoyed by the whole family.
Alphabet Letters
The letters in P Is for Princess: A Royal Alphabet are represented by many types of royal items. Royalty from the nations of Great Britain, China, Jordan, Persia and Greece are featured as are fictional characters like Cinderella. For example, the topic of the D page is the late Princess Diana and the topic of the E page is the Emperor of China that created the great wall. The book also defines words, such as ball and czar, having to do with royalty and mentions objects, like the crown jewels and red carpet, that royalty use.
Illustrations
Each page features a watercolor painting of the topic of the page. The paintings of the real people look almost like actual pictures. The paintings are colorful and feature many details.
Text FeaturesThe pages of the book feature two types of writing. The first is a simple four line verse that mentions the letter, the person or object and a brief description of what makes them associated with royalty. The second type of writing on the page is research based. It offers historical significance and explains the subject of the page in more detail. These longer passages would provide a good start for royal research and may make the reader want to do further reading on the subject.
The book has two features at the end. The first is a page of questions answered by the text of the book. This gives the reader a chance to check how well they understood the reading. The second is an extensive bibliography. The list is complete with all books used for the more advanced writing on each page. This would give the readers who want to know more a good spot to begin their research.
P is for Princess: A Royal Alphabet is a beautiful book that would be enjoyed by the whole family. It would be excellent for the home schooling family or just to share with your children or grandchildren.
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