© © Luciana Frigerio

Sara Pinto is a graphic designer who lives with her family in Montpelier, Vermont. The bright art and fresh approach to the alphabet introduces a lively new talent to the world of children's books.  The Alphabet Room was the recipient of the PEN New England Children's Book Discovery Award.

Sara discovered the joys of making art when she was a high school student in Boulder, Colorado. She attended the Philadelphia College of Art and Bennington College, where she received a B.A. in Painting and Writing.

Since then, she has lived in Santa Fe, New York, Portland, and London, working at various jobs but always making art. Sara has had her own hat-making business and clock-making business. She began tinkering with her first ideas for children’s books in 1992. 

In 1994, she married Robert Mantho, an architect, and moved to London, where their son Aidan was born. Writing and making art for children took on new meaning after that and during Aidan’s naps she began The Alphabet Room. In 1999, Sara and her family moved to Vermont, where her second son, Luciano, was born. She is currently working on her second book, again during naptime.

Praise for The Alphabet Room:
"A unique and lavish feast for the eyes. This fancy board book brings the alphabet alive with interactive flaps and something new to look at each time the book is opened." —— Sarah Parker, Scott's Bookstore, Mount Vernon, Washington.

"Creative. Pinto, making her children's book debut, draws and paints in a delicate hand. Her many combinations of the 26 elements will keep onlookers of all ages entertained." —— Publisher's Weekly

"With clarity, creativity, and clever accumulation of objects to fill the room, this beautiful alphabet book provides a positive and engaging introduction to letters, reading, and thinking - all rolled into one." —— Kendal Rautzhan, 'Books to Borrow, Books to Buy'

"Pinto's Alphabet Room is a beautiful example of an ABC book that is both artful and on target for young children, and it adds the delightful surprise of a wordless story of sorts. Each spread features a letter and a corresponding object in clear, bright contrasting colors. Underneath the picture of each object, a flap lifts to reveal a warm, yellow room, which, as the book progresses, slowly fills up with the featured items, in constantly shifting arrangements. Children will enjoy poring over each new configuration of the room, hunting for the familiar objects, and at the same time they are learning the alphabet, they'll be learning to organize and identify objects. In images of the inviting, magical room, this offers a playful visual literacy exercise." —— Booklist

Exciting news! The Alphabet Room has been chosen as one of Child Magazine's Best Books of the Year. This will be announced in the December issue, which hits the stands in the middle of this month. There will be an award celebration held at the Union Square Barnes and Noble on February 12th, and stores nation-wide will also hold celebrations during that month.

More exciting news! The Alphabet Room has been chosen by booksellers across the land, to appear in the Book Sense Children's 76 Winter 2003 - 2004 edition.