ABC Dream by Kim Krans Ages 2-7 48 pages Random House January 2016 Hardcover     Surrounding each letter of the alphabet in the author’s debut picture book are drawings of life. A feathery letter F is surrounded by fern fronds, a fox, friendly fish, and flashing fireflies. When I turn to the back of the book, I see I forgot a word; flying. Yes, the fireflies and fish are flying through the air around the letter F. Children will spot the lion and lamb on the L page, but it may take an older child or an adult to point out the line, and the fact that the lion is lying down and the lamb is leaning. This is why this beautifully drawn alphabet book can be fun for all ages. Who will notice the M is really a mirror, or see the reflection on the R’s double-page spread? S has the most words to identify (eight) while X and Y tie for one word each. Black and white dominate in the ink and watercolor illustrations, but each page does have two to three touches of color somewhere in the drawing. On the N page the stars are colored to look like autumn leaves. Yellow is the only color on the H page, and it’s found on the hedgehog’s birthday party hat. This is all the color the pages need, though, as it allows us to appreciate the lines and details in the realistic drawings. If I was reading this book to a child I would ask them what they would draw to go along with the letters. ABC Dream will add interaction and appeal to a variety of storytimes.     web reviews   Tanya Boudreau/2016 for curled up with a good kid's book   For grown-up fiction, nonfiction and speculative fiction book reviews, visit our sister site Curled Up With a Good Book (www.curledup.com)