THE ALPHABET TREE

New York: Pantheon, 1968. First edition. Near fine in very good plus dust jacket.. First printing of this delightful picture book about letters coming together to serve a higher purpose, with the help of some insect friends. Leo Leonni's colorful, dynamic children's books are defined by his use of collage and stamping for his illustrations. Though he spent the bulk of his career as art director for advertisements and periodicals including FORTUNE, it was in picture books that he found "the key to unlocking decades of personal fears, joys, insecurities and loves" through simple metaphor (NEW YORK TIMES). Leonni's love for the medium translated into critical success, earning him four Caldecott Honors and the adoration of many young readers.
Written during the intense anti-Vietnam War protests in 1968, THE ALPHABET TREE ends with a strong pacifist message directed to the president via a caterpillar. Lionni was not shy about expressing his opinion of current events through his children's books: "he felt that the world was in such a state that he really couldn't afford not to use the picture book as a kind of soapbox" (NEW YORK TIMES). 11'' x 8.75''. Original yellow cloth binding with green stamping. Original unclipped ($3.95) color pictorial dust jacket. Green leaf-patterned endpapers. Illustrated in color. [16] leaves. Jacket with scattered foxing, mild edgewear; 1.5" closed tear to top edge. Binding with a touch of edgewear. A sharp copy.