DR. SEUSS'S ABC.

By Theodor S. Geisel'25. New York: Random House (Beginner Books), 1963. 63 pp. $1.95.

Alphabet books are so old that it is a problem to find a new slant on this important topic. Unless such books merely have a set of decorated letters, a new attempt has to be really imaginative to avoid all the time-worn usages. You do not even need to guess the latest comer in this field, for he has the vocabulary, and the spirit, to bring life and variety to an ABC book. Dr. Seuss of course. With his drawing skill, his rhyming dexterity, and his always-fresh outlook, there is a treat in store for you.

This is a teaching book, which does put limits on the author, so the alphabet is largely treated with respect. Except for some proper names, fancy has been somewhat subdued in the text but runs its usual riot in the illustrations. Only a few letters have been given over to pure fantasy. As this is a book to be read out loud, the words are beyond the reading grasp of a beginner. But the sound of the words is easily understood, and the series of them, for each letter, are full of vigor and freshness.

It is a long way from Kate Greenaway's "A Apple Pie" to Dr. Seuss's ABC book, but they both have the same fundamental teaching idea and, in their age, are equal to the need of their time. Their approach is quite different, but the results are just as good.

Did you think that ZEBRA is the answer to "What begins with "Z"? If so, look and see.