Today, small farms are still a fixture in the New England countryside. There are less of them, I'm sure, than 30 years ago, when the book was published. But they are still there in the many small towns. Azarian had been watching the suburbanization of America when she started her teaching job in Vermont. She needed teaching aids and wanted to celebrate and capture the details of the life around her. She chose subjects that were a part of daily life then, and still can be found in rural New England. Add to that the fact that the early 1980s were part of the back to the farm trend, and I am sure this book was a big hit.

It is amazing how much Azarian captured with a picture and one word. mostly simple words. To be sure, the black and white woodcuts are not ordinary. They are extremely detailed and depict aspects of rural life well. Some would apply to life in general. I could see this being a favorite for the beautiful illustrations. Words that are familiar are given a different context, with a New England flavor. I can imagine each lovely print hanging on a wall also.

related-alphabet, ABCs, farm life, country, New England, Vermont, woodcut prints
RL=K, read aloud to toddlers

Compare to A Gardener's Alphabet by Mary Azarian. The books were published 20 years apart.