Toddlers will love learning their a b c's with this unusual set of alphabet blocks. Blocks are 11/2" square and 11/2" thick, each made of four chunky slabs of board, bound together at the spine and designed to open like miniature books revealing eight tiny pages. The front and back cover of each block displays a letter of the alphabet, its capital version on the back, and its lower-case version on the front. Each of the combination book/block's eight pages shows both an illustration and a word that starts with the block's letter. For instance, the A block opens and its pages show color illustrations of an ant, an apple, an acorn and five more "a" words. Blocks come in a brightly decorated case with a plastic carrying handle and Velcro tabs to keep it closed when not in use. In addition to 24 alphabet blocks (w/x and y/z each share a block), the case also holds a brightly lithographed alphabet board showing the printed alphabet plus blank squares where toddlers can arrange blocks to make words of their own. Here's a terrific gift idea for pre-schoolers that combines learning with fun. (Ages 1-4)