Nonfiction Monday is hosted today at Shelf-employed.

My offering is an Alphabet book of a different sort: Caldecott Honor Book, Alphabet City, illustrated by Stephen Johnson. Although this isn't an alphabet book to hand your preschooler, it certainly is worthy of attention.

Alphabet City will require some adult interpretation when it comes to finding some of the more challenging letters that are hidden within the pages of this stunning book. Johnson has discovered the alphabet in an urban setting and presented the letters in paintings that are almost photographic in their realism. The challenge offered by Johnson is to learn to really observe one's environment and see it in new ways. This would be a great addition not only to an alphabet collection, but to an art book collection as well.

Here is the answer to Friday's Famous First: "The afternoon Hillary first saw the elf village, she couldn't believe her eyes." is from the Newbery Honor book Afternoon of the Elves by Janet Taylor Lisle.