A is for Appalachia is a treasured alphabet book for children. The book introduces young readers to letters while providing an endearing look at the traditions, history, and life of Appalachia, a region with one of the oldest and most unique folk cultures in the United States. This is a book filled with a diverse array of beautifully illustrated folk tales, ghost stories, recipes, Jack Tales, expressions, happenings, and music that excites the imagination of people of all ages. Adults and children alike are shown a remarkable legacy particular to Appalachia, but one that also truly transcends cultures.

Linda Hager Pack, an educator for twenty-two years, teaches children's literature at Eastern Kentucky University and received the prestigious Ashland Oil Teacher of the Year award in 1996.

Pat Banks, a master watercolorist, is a Kentucky Guild of Artists and Craftsmen member, a Kentucky Arts Council roster artist, and a Kentucky Craft Marketing program participant.

Reviews:

Click here to listen to an audio review from WVXU's Around Cincinnati with Roberta Schultz

"This book is a delight from beginning to end. I believe I love it as much as my two daughters do, and they adore it. A is for Appalachia is entertaining, informative, and a perfect read. I can't recommend it highly enough."-Silas House, author of Clay's Quilt, A Parchment of Leaves, and The Coal Tatoo

"What a charming children's picture book! All [letters] combine to give a real feel for the heritage of the mountain region."-Appalachian Heritage

"Gorgeous watercolors. . . . Never did I imagine that reading an ABC book would bring tears to my eyes."-Karen McCann-West, Lexington Herald Leader

"While it could certainly be used to teach the ABC's, it is also an inviting and educational tour of the region's history and heritage."-Louisville Courier-Journal

"This is a good primer about a much stereotyped and ridiculed culture that has persevered despite challenges from technology and tourism."-The Advocate

"[Pack] wrote this book with an obvious deep affection for the region and its people...[Banks] does a wonderful job of capturing the old-time feel of the book's setting, and her depictions of faces are realistic and diverse."-News Herald

"[Pack's] writing and Kentucky artist Pat Banks' watercolor illustrations capture some fading traditions, such as one-room schoolhouses."-Atlanta Journal-Constitution

"[A is for Appalachia] helps young children understand the heritage of the Southern Appalachian Mountains and the Scots, Irish, English and Germans who settled there."-Knoxville News-Sentinel

"...lifts a lamp to the history, geography, and culture of the collaborators beloved heritage."-Braver Self

"Feature[s] pictures that are both frame-able and words that are instructive and memorable, credits to the places they represent and excellent tools for learning both alphabet and geographical facts."-Marilis Hornidge, Lincoln County News

"Entertaining as well as informative, it includes such themes as Appalachian music, quilts, ghost stories, and folk tales."-Kim Johnson, Goldenseal

"The description of life in the southern Appalachian Mountains are vividly portrayed for the imagination to soak up all the color and traditions of the rich culture that is Appalachia . . . Everything is beautifully illustrated in order to saturate the eye while reading the text allowed you to feel that you are surrounded by the culture that is so distinct in Appalachia."-Northern Kentucky Heritage