N is for Nessie: A Scottish Alphabet for Kids (Picture Kelpies)

N is for Nessie: A Scottish Alphabet for Kids. The colorful cover and the first page illustrations (Auld Lang Syne) draw you in. In fact there was something about that family that reminded me of "the Broons," a Scottish annual from my childhood, that hooked me. I'm the granny to four children 4 and under. I buy books for them and for "Granny's Bairn's Library" in my home. This book is advertised as being for that age group 1-3 years old. I have found Amazon a great source for books for them that will help me preserve our Scottish Heritage, the downfall is often there isn't a way to see the whole book, you only get a snippet, and even at that I've discovered that changes too. I look for books with a great storyline with substance, wonderful illustrations and ones that will add to our heritage. If there's a bit of humor added to the mix all the better. This book does add humor...M is for Midgie and G is for Golf do exactly that! The colorful Puffins for P is wonderful. I have to say that the I and J pages with Islands and John O'Groats are among the let downs in the book. I think for the target ages of 1-3 a map is maybe just not the best choice. For a book that is supposedly uniquely Scottish the choice of Red Squirrel (R), Umbrella (U), Very, very wet(V), Zoo (Z) in the glossary it refers to Edinburgh Zoo, but there is nothing in the illustration to suggest it is. As a kid, going to the Edinburgh Zoo was a big deal for us, surely there is a way to incorporate that into the illustration. In the end, as with every book, the choices made are those of the write and illustrator. It is their vision put to paper. There is however one HUGE issue I have with "W". In this otherwise child (1-3 yrs. old) appropriate book they have gone with W is for Whisky. Not just a bottle or a dram, but a whole shop with the windows full of bottles galore. In a book that for "V" was "very, very wet" if they were truly hung up (not over) for an idea could have gone with "windy" as that is just as true at times in Scotland. But also given the many pages with rain incorporated they could have selected "Wellies" just as easily and so relatable to a young child or even wool (there is a difference between yarn and wool and the illustration for Y is for Yarn would be a better choice here for W-wool). Yes, I have to say, I am truly disappointed that the only illustration that truly mars the entire book is "W" as much as whisky my be apart of Scotland, I'd never include it in a children's book and think it shows poor judgment. There is no way to read around this or edit it out when reading aloud, although, looking at the illustration again, maybe I can go with whiny for the child that is pulling against the father engrossed in the window display...no, still not right. I gave this book a two star rating instead of a one star because the other illustrations are lovely, but I honestly couldn't recommend it to anyone, there are better Scottish Alphabet books out there to choose from like one from Rickey E. Pittman by that name and B is for Bagpipes by Eve Begley Kiehm (An alphabet book that grows with you with one running story for the younger kids and another for the child as they mature). Both are available here on Amazon. I will add that I had four young people (some are parents others teachers) between 25-32 take a look at the book and asked them to glance through and give me their opinion. For each one Whisky for "W" stood out to them as totally inappropriate for children, especially this age group (1-3). I'm including photos for a better idea of the illustrations and your own decision.

This book had me at "W" for "Whisky." LOL So not only does this book make me laugh every time I look at it or read it, but it's illustrations are vibrant and engaging, very cute for kids. We have a dozen or more alphabet books and they range from dull and confusing, to page turning and relatable for little ones. This book is somewhat relatable mostly because we don't live in Scotland, but we compare the pictures to our visits, and my 5 year old loves telling stories about our travels to Scotland when we read this book. For some letters there is not a word that the letter begins with, but a phrase for the letter. We just use it as a learning opportunity and discuss whatever the phrase sparks in our thoughts.

This book is so cute! We have a few of the ABC books for the states, and after our visit to Scotland I thought this would be a really cute way for us to talk about the trip to my son and help him remember. It's very colorful and has things that are unique to Scotland so it is a great conversation starter with your little one. I liked it so much I bought one for my nephew so he could learn about Scotland too!

so cute!

Love this book! It was a birthday present for a super sweet girl! She loves it! 💕

Love this book. Great illustrations and it gives definitions of everything in the back of the book.

Great book!

Product came tatty and ripped from third party seller so please watch out.If purchased new it is a fun, novelty product! My Scottish family love reading it to the little ones!Highly recommend!

Adored by my 2year old daughter and us! Fun and educational. I borrowed it originally from the library so purchased another before we had to return it.Will definitely be buying more as gifts.

Lovely illustrations to match the letters and sounds with a good dollop of Scottish background

Fun book

There was some confusion with amazon and postage ? Got it one day after date :) beautiful book, just for fun, W for whisky lol sure grandpa will be pleased lol