Paste Magazine's Indie Rock Alphabet Book by Caren Kelleher, Kate Kiefer, Rachael Maddux Illustrations by Owen the Owen.
Late last year Paste, the finest music/arts/culture magazine in existence today, released it's first kid's book. The "Indie Rock Alphabet Book" is most definitely not the first musical themed A to Z book to hit the market, but it surely is the first to combine Yo La Tengo, Belle and Sebastian and Tom Waits (among dozens of other well-known and loved independent artists and bands) into a educational tome for the toddler set.
Not satisfied with simply associating a given band with a letter (Elliott Smith and E, etc.), the writers of "An Indie Rock Alphabet Book" add a sentence or two to each page - clever little remarks that, more likely, will amuse the reader far more than the listener. For example, the "N" page reads:"Four star inns and resorts are swell, but they can't compare to Neutral Milk Hotel" - so, so true.
In addition to the wit, there are also striking illustrations showing the bands and artists as you've probably never seen 'em (I present Sam Beam's arborist-head/beard on the striking Iron & Wine page as evidence).
"An Indie Rock Alphabet Book" is an awesome way to transfer more than just your love of indie music to your tots. In addition to learning which song was Modest Mouse's breakout single, your kiddies will also pick up those always-handy letters of the alphabet.
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