A minature girl uses the letters of the alphabet to introduce different flowers, from A for aster to Z for zinnia. - (Baker & Taylor)

Step into the garden and learn your ABC's, now with a smaller trim and sturdy board book pages for the littlest learners!

From asters and daisies to roses and sunflowers, An ABC of Flowers is a colorful feast for the eyes that will have little hands eager to grab. Filled with gorgeous photo illustrations, bold colors, and clever line art featuring a miniature-sized girl named Amelie, toddlers will laugh and be mezmerized by the book's vibrant pages.

Perfect for the youngest readers learning their ABC's! - (Penguin Putnam)

Originally from Germany, Jutta Hilpuesch is an artist, illustrator, and photographer living in a northern suburb of Chicago. She specializes in whimsical mixed-media illustrations, combining minimalist line art and photography. She graduated with a degree in business, worked as a marketing manager for one of the largest candy companies in Germany, and ran her own jewelry design business before discovering her passion for illustrating. Jutta is the creator of a beloved miniature-sized character named Amelie, who has become an Instagram favorite for many. Jutta Hilpuesch is married, has three children and a golden retriever, Bo. She loves late-night comedy, fuzzy socks, and sometimes bakes just to eat the cookie dough. Her dream home would be located in a no-freeze zone and would come with a self-stocking fridge and a laundry wizard. Follow her on Instagram @happydaysfactory. - (Penguin Putnam)

Kirkus Reviews

The title says it all—this is an alphabet of flowers! Each page depicts a giant letter of the alphabet in a soft, flat color, superimposed with a color photograph of a flower beginning with that letter and the name of the flower printed in lowercase. Because there must be a flower for every letter of the alphabet, some of the flower names are rather obscure. A case in point is "ulex," which is the Latin name for a European genus of flowering plants; the one pictured is gorse, which will probably not be familiar to most North American readers. Similarly, "xeranthemum" is the word used for the letter X, and only one flower of this European genus of daisies is shown. This serious botany is lightened somewhat by decorative black-and-white line drawings of a tiny, presumably white, girl who introduces herself along with the letter A: "Amelie, that's me!" Amelie is depicted playing, dancing, climbing, swinging, and otherwise interacting with the relatively huge flowers. The line drawings are sweet, and a child might be captivated by Amelie's antics, but the connection between her activity and the alphabet letter is hard to discern. Unlike many other, similar titles, no additional information is given about the flowers beyond their names. Attractively designed but limited in educational value for beginning readers or botanists. (Picture book. 2-5) Copyright Kirkus 2019 Kirkus/BPI Communications. All rights reserved.

Publishers Weekly Reviews

A miniature, line-drawn child named Amelie interacts with the letters of the alphabet, each of which represents a different flower. Photo illustrations are juxtaposed with the large, pastel-colored letters that begin each word, and bright flowers are set against crisp white backgrounds. Amelie is seen holding their stems or playing on or near the petals. Hilpuesch includes garden variety flora (rose and sunflower), but readers may not recognize others, including the purple Jacob's ladder and the fuchsia-colored kalanchoe. The X, Y, and Z entries close out the alphabet together as Amelie pulls a wagon full of xeranthemum, yarrow, and zinnia. A vividly photographed ABC book with a clean, sophisticated aesthetic. Ages up to 3. (Apr.)

School Library Journal Reviews

PreS-Gr 2—Hilpuesch's fanciful line-drawn character, Amelie, frolics with brilliant photographs of blossoms representing the alphabet. Each page features a pastel, graphic-style letter and its blossom, from aster to zinnia. The letters' varied positions allow the diminutive figure of Amelie, and sometimes her young male friend or a pup, to engage by picking daisy petals, drumming on the underside of an evening primrose, or having tea atop a hibiscus leaf. The finale is a pretty spread, perfect for practicing letters and flora identification. The engaging mixed media artwork is done in Adobe Illustrator, Photoshop and Procreate. VERDICT Uplifting eye candy, and a venue for the author's Instagram cutie.—Gay Lynn Van Vleck, Henrico County Library, Glen Allen, VA