HoB_ABCs

Title A Jumble ABC

Brief description A unique alphabet book containing words and illustrations relating to various landmarks and cultures.

Full description A Jumble ABC is part of the Sunbeam Toy Books series published in London by F. Warne & Co. in 1890. It consists of ten pages with large-font upper- and lower-case letters on smooth paper. The sketchings of each letter are in black and white. Colored plates and text illustrations depict idyllic images of cultural landmarks, such as the Arc de Triomphe for the letter A. On the front cover is a lovely illustration of Asian-influenced lanterns. The back cover advertises the new series of children's toy books and also includes two young children reading outdoors in the grass with the sun shining in the background.

Literacy Literacy is often linked to class and group-specific demands. In many circumstances throughout history, reading was mainly a form of entertainment and amusement, along with being a sign of a life of leisure. Teaching children the alphabet and developing their literacy skills via words and images similar to the ones in A Jumble ABC, which are specific to various cultures, suggests that the child reading or being read to is of middle or upper class, and literacy is an expected goal.

The book is filled with exotic references, such as varying geographic landscapes and cultural landmarks, which implies that the reader will perhaps have the opportunity to become familiar with these historical landmarks through further lessons or even travel.

Childhood A Jumble ABC is a unique late-1800's alphabet book in that each letter of the alphabet corresponds with pictures depicting various locations and cultures, such as the Arc de Triumph corresponding with the letter A.

The child engaged in this book could be either a boy or girl, as neither the content nor the pictures are biased towards a particular gender. It would most likely be used by a school aged child and could be utilized in a school setting to help supplement lessons, as it could tie into various topics.

Along with an inviting image on the front cover, the combination of black and white and hand-painted text and illustrations can transport the child to a world he or she might already be familiar with or expose him or her to new cultural landmarks.

A child utilizing this book could very well belong to a family that has a more open-minded view of the world and child rearing, such as parents or guardians who encourage curiosity and exploration through learning, travel, and play. Religious overtones are not present, despite their omnipresence in other alphabet books.

Iconography

Childhood theories that emerged around the time of publication of this book signaled a shift in cultural attitudes towards valuing education and childhood. The cultural perspective of childhood and alphabet books can be evidence of this.

A Jumble ABC is unique in that it shows the broadening of horizons for some families during the late 1800's. Travel was becoming an option due to technological advances and more financial independence. In certain cases, children were encouraged to become familiar with landmarks associated with various parts of the world and to gain worldly knowledge.

Choosing A Jumble ABC as an alphabet book to develop literacy through vocabulary and illustrations presented within the pages suggests that the parent expects the child to have a variety of experiences so as to adapt to different social situations. This could lead to the assumption that children's studies would equip children to assimilate into a world of leisure, one in which exploration would be encouraged.

Production

A Jumble ABC alphabet book is part of the Sunbeam Toy Books series published by F. Warne & Co. The British company published books in London and New York and was founded by its namesake in 1865. F. Warne and Company published illustrated children's books by talented authors, most notably Beatrix Potter. The company is noted for beautifully rendered illustrations, as evidenced by the Jumble ABC alphabet book.

The illustrations on the covers-an Asian theme on the front cover and two children reading outdoors in the sunlight on the back-attract the reader's eye immediately. The illustrations throughout the book encompass a wide range of landmarks, animals, and other subjects that are exotic in nature. They transport the audience to different places while they read and expose them to an impressive vocabulary.