Baby William's Book Tasting

As a member of the UHP’s intellectual community, junior program officer William Chandler offers book recommendations beyond your syllabi.

My parents always told me you can’t read Gibbon’s “Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire” straight through without a breather.  So I recently picked up, then repeatedly dropped, “Learn the Alphabet with Northwest Coast Native Art,” a charming hardcover from the shop at the Museum of the American Indian right here in DC!
With images such as (WOAH, JUST LOOKED AT MY HANDS! WOAH!! WOAH.) “F frog”, “J journey” and “U unity” made up of stylized animals, plants and natural forms in exciting color combinations, the book provides an excellent introduction to the popular artistic tradition of the Pacific Northwest.  And letters.
The book is also printed in soy-based inks on paper sourced from sustainable forests with non-toxic coatings, making it ecologically sound as well as safe to nom.  (OMG I’M SO HUNGRY). Educational, visually stimulating and fun to chew, “Learn the Alphabet” earns 4 out of 5 “Goos.”