Shirley Hughes works magic into simple scenes of everyday family life, and that is certainly the case here: episodes and objects that all little children will recognise are used to illustrate the letters of the alphabet. I particularly like ‘E is for everyone’, the illustration featuring bleary-eyed dad, still in bed, two little children bouncing on top of him, mum in the doorway with two cups of tea. There’s so much to look at and talk about in these warm, detailed pictures and this is ideal for sharing with pre-schoolers and the youngest readers. ~Andrea Reece
An introduction to letters and first words, told with all the charm you'd expect. The Bookseller
Author
About Shirley Hughes
Winner of the Book Trust Lifetime Achievement Award 2015.
Shirley Hughes (1927 – 2022) was born and grew up in West Kirby, near Liverpool. She studied at Liverpool Art School and at the Ruskin School of Art in Oxford, before embarking on a career as a freelance illustrator. At first she worked as an interpretive illustrator, but she began to write and design her own picture books when her children were very young. Her first book, Lucy and Tom's Day, was published in 1960.
Shirley Hughes illustrated over two hundred children's books and is renowned as a champion of children's literature. She has been the recipient of the Other Award, the Kate Greenaway Medal and the prestigious Eleanor Farjeon Award. She was nominated for the Astrid Lindgren Memorial Award in2010, which rewards the best in contemporary children's and young adult literature from all over the world.
