I recently received Nat’s First Peanuts ABC: An Alphabet Adventure, a radical departure from standard Peanuts fare. After all, in most Peanuts books. Rather than relying solely on the existing base of Peanuts characters, this was introduces a new character – Nat – in the very first pages, as traditional characters welcome Nat, tell him he has a nice name, display a photograph of this handsome devil, and wish him a “Happy 1st ABC book”.
Following that, well, it slips into more familiar territory, reprinting the content of the board book My First Peanuts ABC, only on standard book paper, not on boards. For 24 pages this Nat is a man of mystery, going unmentioned… and then suddenly, the characters are shouting “Hooray! You did it, Nat!”, and frollicking around the photo of glorious Nat. Finally, there’s a cut-outable poster featuring the Peanuts characters, the alphabet, and the photo of Nat.
I hope we see more of this Nat in Peanuts books. Fascinating character, he is!
