1. Art
2. Art techniques
3. Biography
4. Book design
5. Cultural diversity
6. Culture
7. Democracy
8. Discrimination
9. Elections
10. Environmental protection
11. First Nations people
12. Government
13. History
14. Human rights
15. Literary techniques
16. Music
17. Poetry
18. Politics
19. Racism
20. Resilience
21. Social justice
22. Sport

‘Aussie Legends Alphabet’ is the first book by Sydney-based commercial artist and graphic designer, Beck Feiner, but with her exuberant palette and breezy sense of humour, it's no surprise that many books have followed. Neatly sidestepping the controversial term 'heroes', which appears sexist to some readers, Feiner is free to choose famous Australians whose achievements may not be as epic as the concept of a questing hero implies. While many Australians would happily call a footballer such as Adam Goodes a 'hero' for his sporting talent and his fight against racism, they might hesitate to see news reading by Lee Lin Chin as heroism. So Feiner is on safer ground with the more informal and colloquial 'legends'. It's a term that Australians use frequently in casual conversation - sometimes with a hint of irony.

In any case, like all lists, collections and anthologies, a choice such as this is best regarded as the beginning of a conversation, not the end. Perhaps surprisingly, given the emphasis on sports in Australian popular discourse, half the legends here are drawn from the arts and include both real life and fictional characters: Dame Joan Sutherland and Olivia Newton-John, but also Kath and Kim and Dame Edna Everage. Again, perhaps unexpectedly, the next ranking groups are politicians and scientists, such as Julia Gillard and Fred Hollows. Only then do sporting legends feature!

Alphabets are odd paradigms in publishing. Sometimes they are a way for publishers to contract, showcase and retain a new illustrator, who doesn't yet have a word text to illustrate. Sometimes the simple language-learning structure doesn't align with the implied reading age of the text - as in ‘M is for Metal’ by Paul McNeil and Barry Divola, which is really a gift book for adults. Here in ‘Aussie Legends Alphabet’, it may not be easy to explain to primary school readers the inclusion of Lee Lin Chin or Ita Buttrose.

There are the usual problem phonemes, not altogether satisfactorily resolved by Feiner. U is for Utzon, the Danish architect of the Sydney Opera House, who left Australia angrily and didn't return for many years after the NSW government imposed cost-cutting changes on his design. X is for INXS is also pushing it, as far as phonics are concerned, and while 'Z is for Shazza, Wazza, Kezza, Bazza and the rest' demonstrates Feiner's cheeky sense of humour, as a concluding gesture it pretty much tosses the idea of an alphabet book over the shoulder.

Visually, the athletic contortions of 'C is for Cathy Freeman' or 'G is for Julia Gillard' are fun (although, considering the way her male peers treated her, which male hand almost out of frame is she shaking?) and 'K is for Kath and Kim', joined at the hip, would cause Kim to say, 'Give it a bone, Mum!' The graphic portraits are not consistently recognisable - take Olivia Newton-John, for example, or Bob Hawke - who famously gave up drinking alcohol to become prime minister, although he is pictured holding a schooner of beer here. (Where was the editor?)

But such quibbles are inevitably the response to any selection, and HarperCollins provides black line masters of several letters, so students can illustrate their own legendary choices!

1. Beck Feiner author site (includes merchandise and a photograph of the author) https://beckfeiner.myportfolio.com/about-1
2. Beck Feiner portfolio https://beckfeiner.myportfolio.com/projects
3. Braithwaite, Alyssa (2017). 'One mum designed a kids' alphabet full of Aussie legends' http://bit.ly/2mP9opr
4. Black line masters: create your own Aussie legends alphabet. https://hcau-assets.supadu.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/09/21135905/C0291-Aussie-Legends-Alphabet-Updated-activity-sheet-FA.pdf
5. The most famous Sydney-based commercial artist is Ken Done. Ask students to compare Beck Feiner's style with his and list the similarities and differences. Why might their work be popular? Why might it not be taken seriously as 'fine art'? https://kendone.com.au/