Stephen T. Johnson brings his artist’s eye to a school environment to locate letters of the alphabet in ordinary objects and scenes. The shadow of a school bus mirror forms the letter B. Two flags on a pole make an F. Remnants of a peanut butter and jelly sandwich curl into a G. A flipped-up toilet seat is an almost perfect U. Johnson’s striking full-page, realistic paintings have a tinge of grittiness with their speckled texture, looking like well-worn photographs. The imperfections amplify the realism, and while these are surely images drawn from one or more specific places, there is also a universality, as if this could be any school. It’s hard to imagine children not being inspired to look closely around their own classrooms, hallways, gymnasiums, and playgrounds to see what letters might be lurking, and some will surely want to create images and books of their own. (Ages 4–7)

Explore the ins and outs of A to Z in an educational setting in this innovative picture book from the Caldecott Honor–winning creator of Alphabet City and A Is for Art.

Imagine a school. Any school. Be it your school, one from memory, or even a dream school. Then enter and embark on a journey of wonder and delight. Look closely. There’s a letter C in the curve of a globe, a little L in the handle of a pencil sharpener, or at recess, a vibrant yellow V in a geodesic climbing dome.

Can you find the letters on every page?

From inside the classroom to outside on the playground, Caldecott Honor artist and author Stephen T. Johnson renders the ordinary extraordinary with timeless imagery, inviting us to reexamine and rediscover our schools anew, and to find beauty and joy in the most unexpected places.