Alphabeasties: And Other Amazing Types »

Sharon Werner and Sarah Forss are graphic designers at the two-person design studio Werner Design Werks in St. Paul, Minnesota, which has garnered many graphic design awards, as well as a place in the permanent collections of the Library of Congress, Musee De La Poste, Victoria and Albert Museum, Musee des Arts Decoratifs, and the Cooper Hewitt Museum. You can visit them online at www.wdw.com.

The award-winning design team of the innovative book Alphabeasties and Other Amazing Types has created 26 eye-catching alphabet flash cards. Each card features an animal ingeniously built from the first letter of its name. Different typefaces comprise each of the beasties, making for a wondrous and witty way to look at and learn the ABCs. These cards fit easily into a backpack and provide easy entertainment for kids. The attractive stamped-fabric case and tray also make this an attractive object for a coffee table or office.

Flip each of the cards over to build two super-size, colorful puzzles!

Publishers Weekly

No ordinary abecedarian, this typographical trip will wow design fans and suggest creative projects with letterforms. The book's introduction speaks affectionately of typefaces—“just like people, they look different and have different personalities”—before embarking on a thrilling spin through the alphabet. The first spread presents an alligator's silhouette, made up of capital and lowercase As, as the repeated word “algae” forms green strands around it. A bat shaped from gothic Bs holds vampire connotations; tall, skinny Gs evoke the height of a giraffe that hides behind leafy, vertical folds; and breathless italic Rs make a rabbit seem poised to leap. Werner and Forss, a debuting team of graphic designers, devote page borders to extra wordplay: a C becomes the curved back and tail of a cat, a K's extended foot kicks a soccer ball, a cursive L is a lasso and rounded Ps nestle in a pod. Innovations arrive several to a page, rewarding repeat visits and encouraging readers to muse on the power of type and all that letters and words can imply or insinuate. Ages 4–8. (Oct.)