A is for Awesome!: 23 Iconic Women Who Changed the World would have been almost a perfect alphabet/history book and been a five rating if the age-old 
dilemma of X Y Z had not come up. Instead of people being here (Y could have been Yoko Ono, though I admit I am having a little trouble finding X and Z, but considering Beyoncé is represented, Eva Chen could have had Xuxa or Zoë Kravitz), instead words that have the letters and mentions how “wonderful” you the reader is. Also included is a book mirror on the opposite page of this text.
Derek Desierto’s illustrations represent the people mentioned perfectly. You do not have to read most of the names as he has created their images without question. The only ones you might wonder are the women that are not pop culture like Beyoncé or history like Amelia Earhart. Such as Dorothy Hodgkin or Emmeline Pankhurst. The alphabet and history are blended together making a book that will grow with your child. And while I do not think some people should be here, I enjoyed the historic and contemporary people as well as including people not always well known or the traditional names.
And as a sidebar, if you are looking for an alphabet that is more traditional but still not your everyday A is for Apple, An ABC of Flowers by Jutta Hilpuesch will be a perfect book.. Learn about flowers and letter with a miniature-sized girl named Amelie as each letter is represented by a gorgeous photograph of a flower. Some we know well (Rose) but others not as popular (billy ball).
