Childrens’ books about the alphabet are a dime a dozen but this one has strengths that many others don’t. Like the iconic television program, it speaks clearly to toddlers. It is free of distracting clutter like glitter and busy background patterns, with each page simply having a Play School character or prop upon a white background. The fact that Humpty Dumpty, Big Ted and the other characters are easily recognisable to my son makes it appealing to him, whereas I enjoy noting that many of the props have a certain home-made appeal, such as the elephant on the ‘e’ page – a plastic jar painted grey with paper patty pan ears. Like the show, it inspires me to (try to) make things out of egg cartons!