Abc 3d by Marion Bataille - Revision history

Jill at 14:51, 19 March 2018

2018-03-19T14:51:52Z

Sue at 10:33, 15 December 2014

2014-12-15T10:33:23Z

Keith at 17:24, 27 January 2010

2010-01-27T17:24:14Z

Keith: 1 revision

2009-10-24T17:53:00Z

1 revision

Keith at 21:08, 16 October 2008

2008-10-16T21:08:23Z

New review

{{infobox
|title=ABC3d
|author=Marion Bataille
|reviewer=Jill Murphy
|genre=Children's Non-Fiction
|summary=A difficult-to-classify but absolutely beautiful pop up alphabet book. A coffee table volume for children, it has limited appeal for the home, but should grace every school library.
|rating=4
|buy=Maybe
|borrow=Yes
|format=Hardcover
|pages=38
|publisher=Bloomsbury
|date=October 2008
|isbn=0747595798
|amazonuk=<amazonuk>0747595798</amazonuk>
|amazonus=<amazonus>1596434252</amazonus>
}}

Wow. This is an ABC book with a difference. The publisher's notes say it's "astoundingly beautiful" and it is. Marion Bataille's careful, ingenious alphabet pops up from the pages to amaze and entrance all who look. From A, a proud pyramid on the inside cover, to Z, standing on its side at the end, each letter of our alphabet has a personality of its own. E morphs into F, V mirrors itself and becomes W, and U is a cascade of parabolas.

I would have loved this book as a child. It doesn't ''do'' anything except make you think. There's no story, no printed word, just the alphabet. And if it's not a fount of ideas for the creative child, I can't imagine anything that could be. It's understated and classy, but this book of paper engineering introduces a plethora of techniques and many principles of design. It's truly motivational.

Having said that, I should also say that ''ABC 3d'' has limited appeal. For all its beauty, not every child is going to be transported by origami, or font design, or design at all. For many, it would prove little more than a coffee table book for school pupils. And it's certainly not something you could use to teach a toddler its alphabet. Unless your child is the type to spend hours making origami swans, or colouring those geometric design pads, or agonising for hours over which font is best for history homework (please, number one son, not blackletter again!) it's probably not something to buy.

It should, however, find a place in every school library. Art or design teachers could certainly base lesson plans on it and it would make a wonderfully inspirational study resource.

My thanks to the nice people at Bloomsbury for sending the book.

Young children might like the minimalism in [[Not A Box by Antoinette Portis]], while adults interested in design on a large scale could look at [[The Design of Future Things by Donald Norman]].

{{amazontext|amazon=0747595798}} {{waterstonestext|waterstones=6117354}}

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[[Category:Crafts]]

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-{{infobox
+{{infobox2
 |title=ABC3d
 |author=Marion Bataille
@@ Line 12: / Line 12: @@
 |date=October 2008
 |isbn=0747595798
-|amazonuk=<amazonuk>0747595798</amazonuk>
+|aznuk=0747595798
-|amazonus=<amazonus>1596434252</amazonus>
+|aznus=1596434252
 }}

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 |buy=Maybe
 |borrow=Yes
 |pages=38
 |publisher=Bloomsbury
@@ Line 29: / Line 28: @@
 Young children might like the minimalism in [[Not A Box by Antoinette Portis]], while adults interested in design on a large scale could look at [[The Design of Future Things by Donald Norman]].
-{{amazontext|amazon=0747595798}} {{waterstonestext|waterstones=6117354}}
+{{amazontext|amazon=0747595798}}
 {{commenthead}}
 [[Category:Crafts]]

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