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Sassafrass Jones & Her Forever Steiff Friends ABC's
A delightful book featuring vintage Steiff animals to help children learn their ABCs!
Sassafrass Jones & Her Forever Friends ABCs, uses bright colors, playful words, and bold images to help youngsters learn the alphabet in the most memorable way possible. Each letter comes to life through a charming photo, happy poem, and brief history of the Steiff animal illustrated. And, to give the lessons an international flavor, the name of each animal is provided in English, French, Spanish, German, Chinese, and Japanese.
This book was authored by Cathleen Smith Bresciani and Rebekah Kaufman, Consultant Steiff Archivist in North America. The two met at a book launch party in New York in 2013, and immediately realized that they shared much in common - including Steiff, dogs, and a passion for raising money for charity. Cathleen and Rebekah worked together to create this book, with Cathleen focusing on the illustrations and Rebekah authoring the words and poetry.
Cathleen and Rebekah are both delighted with the results of the collaboration and have plans to create an entire series of "Sassafrass" themed books and complementary accessories. A portion of the proceeds from the sale of this ABC book will be donated to nonprofit organizations.
Reviews
Smith-Bresciani gains a coauthor in Kaufman for this second title built around photographs of vintage Steiff stuffed animals. Sassafrass Jones, the Pekingese who starred in 2013’s Sassafrass Jones & Her Search for a Forever Home, is essentially absent from this book, which instead offers a tour of the alphabet based around other Steiff animals. The animals are described using short, alliterative phrases (“Snails Slithering,” “Tigers in Tiaras”) and identified in English, French, Spanish, German, Chinese, and Japanese. A “Dog with Desserts” wears a checkered red-and-white dress and pushes a cart of sweets: “Who is this dog serving pies, cakes, and strudel?/ She goes by the name of Snobby the poodle,” reads the accompanying rhyme. Facts about the Steiff toys and their production are also included for each figure, which include “Paddy,” a wig-wearing walrus, and a pair of “Crabby” lobsters, who are pictured “lunching” on some of their fellow crustaceans. While the details mined from Steiff history will probably interest adult collectors most, the playful photographic compositions and language-learning elements should hold young readers’ attention. Ages 4–8. (BookLife)
