Every Girl's Alphabet

Kate Bingham is the author of two novels and three books of poetry: Cohabitation, Quicksand Beach, and Infragreen. She was shortlisted for the Forward Prize in 2006 and 2010, and her newest poems can be found in the TLS and the Spectator. Luke Martineau is a painter of informal family portraits, landscapes, and still life. For 25 years he has exhibited in London.

This alphabet was inspired by original paintings of Luke’s children and by the woodcuts of William Nicholson. As in traditional alphabets, every letter is illustrated by a simple object or action. Running alongside, Kate’s poem takes a less literal approach, responding to the mood of each picture in a loosely rhymed celebration of childhood.