Each object included in this visually striking alphabet book is labeled in three languages, and the three words always begin with the same letter (e.g., airplane also begins with A in Spanish and French). The twenty-six letters, plus three additional Spanish letters, are illustrated with bold shapes and strong colors that make the book handsome as well as useful.

Illustrated with simple paper-cuts in bright, high contrast colors, this trilingual alphabet pairs upper and lower case letters in a sans serif face with appropriate, if sometimes unexpected, shapes, animals or items captioned in English, Spanish and French. Though neither "c" nor any accented vowels get separate entries, Spanish letters "Ch," "ll" and "n" do, with one-word labels "chaqueta," "lluvia" and "ninos." Non-Spanish speakers will have to figure out the meanings of these for themselves, however, from pictures that are abstract enough to leave some room for confusion. Furthermore, six of the other examples—Jaguar, Kiwi, Quetzal, Radio, Windsurfer and Zigzag—are identical in all three languages. An uneven outing from a team that usually does better, but refreshing for its multicultural outlook. (Picture book. 5-7)

PreS-Gr 3-This alphabet book has an interesting twist: each letter is presented with text in three languages. What a terrific way to show the similarities among English, Spanish, and French, especially when the words are exactly the same in each case for jaguar, kiwi, quetzal, radio, and zigzag. Not only does it help children (and ESL students) make language connections, but they will also feel mastery of the recognizable words. In a few instances, Jocelyn has included alphabet combinations that are specific to Spanish, which is confusing. A page for "ch" presents the word "chaqueta." Another page illustrates "ll" with "lluvia." Unfortunately, the text is not labeled with the language represented, which might make these single examples particularly puzzling. But these distractions do not significantly detract from a stimulating and interesting approach to learning about languages. The illustrations are simple, painted paper cuts done in vibrant primary and secondary colors, accented with black. This style is very effective in highlighting the text and maintaining interest. Slaughter has used a simple technique and combined it with careful placement and perspective to create movement and keep readers turning pages. ABC x 3 is a good choice for both school and public libraries and lends itself to discussions of other countries and cultures.-Mary Hazelton, Elementary Schools in Warren & Waldoboro, ME Copyright 2005 Reed Business Information.