The Search & Find World of Shadowboxes

The Search & Find World of Shadow Boxes by Laura Seeley is an engaging exploration of the alphabet, designed to captivate children and young learners. Through its imaginative presentation, clever use of stylistic devices, and interactive elements, the book offers a delightful educational experience that makes learning the alphabet both fun and memorable. The book introduces Shadow, a character whose captivating voice draws readers in from the very start and guides them through an interactive search-and-find approach, encouraging children to actively engage with the text by locating specific objects, words, or images associated with each letter. For instance, on the page dedicated to the letter A, children are prompted to “Look for apricots, angels and alphabet stew!” and “Can you find my green apple?” This approach develops visual discrimination, attention to detail, and letter recognition simultaneously.  

The book also incorporates categorical learning, highlighting words that start with each letter and encouraging children to identify and categorize objects like apples, airplanes, ants, or bunnies. Counting activities, such as “Count ants!”, “Count the cinnamon circles,” and “Count up jelly beans,” reinforce numerical skills alongside alphabet learning. Furthermore, the inclusion of upper- and lower-case letter recognition, as noted in the lines: “Can you find each upper- and lower-case letter?”, helps solidify understanding of letter forms, a crucial step in early literacy development. I appreciated how the author demonstrates a mastery of rhyme, a unique element in the book. The rhyming couplets and rhythmic phrases — for example, “Bananas and butterflies both start with Bs” or “Spot a hare in the huckleberries, hidden away” — create a musical, predictable pattern that aids memory and makes recitation enjoyable. The rhythmic flow invites children to participate vocally, fostering phonological awareness. And then there is the deft use of alliteration, which is extensively employed in this book, with repeated initial sounds such as “B” in “Bouncing blue bubbles,” “C” in “Castle and clouds”, and “G” in “Gingerbread gents.” This stylistic device emphasizes phonetic patterns, making it easier for children to connect sounds with letters. Laura Seeley’s book is colorfully illustrated and a unique work that makes learning the alphabet and phonetic sounds easier for children. It is a brilliantly executed book for children and teachers.