Book review: A Is For Apple Unless… , by Tom Llewellyn, illustrated by Mark Hoffmann

Llewellyn, Tom. A is For Apples Unless… Illustrated by Mark Hoffmann. Cameron Kids, 2020. $17.00. Unpaged. ISBN 9781944903978. Ages 5-7. P6 Q7

Bloodsucking vampires, barf, bad kitty, dog doo-doo, F is for a smelly noise that rhymes with art, and that is just a start! Told from one siblings’ point of view, each letter of the alphabet includes the disclaimer “but” or “if.” Oversized matte illustrations match the text, showing a vampire looking children as they experience all the letters of the alphabet, full of words that are sure to illicit a response from children. Animals accompany the siblings, adding humor and helping them out. The ending illustration shows one of the siblings with their finger up their nose. This book is well done for an irreverent book. The illustrations add a lot to the text. Choosing vampire children adds to the humor and makes the outlandish content more acceptable.

Verdict: This year, I have been collecting abcedaria books and have noticed that the formats and contents are quite diverse. If you want a book that is full of humor, this is the abcedaria book for you. However, you have to be okay with undies, vomit, pee and nose picking! If you want a serious book, do not choose this one. If you want to laugh while you teach the alphabet, you will like this book. I can see children squealing and laughing when listening to this book.

February 2021 review by Harris.

Book review: Not an Alphabet Book: The Case of the Missing Cake, by Eoin McLaughlin, illustrated by Marc Boutavant

McLaughlin, Eoin. Not an Alphabet Book: The Case of the Missing Cake. Illustrated by Marc Boutavant. Candlewick Press, 2020. $16.99. ISBN 9781536212679. Unpaged. Ages 4-8. P8 Q8

If you want an original way to teach or review each letter of the alphabet, this is the book for you! Bear invites the reader to join him as he is on a quest to find out who ate the “missing cake.” As the reader travels through the alphabet, they will be amused and entertained as they help Bear solve the mystery. The large-scale illustrations are set against a white background. Each letter of the alphabet is capitalized and a different color, setting it apart from the rest of the text. The text after the letter is bold, highlighting it and making it the title of each page. The text is medium sized and easy to read. Bear’s facial expressions are spot on and will amuse the reader.

Verdict: Solving a mystery, which in truth is not really a mystery to readers, is a brilliant way to teach children the alphabet. The format is ideal for emphasizing each letter of the alphabet. I highly recommend this book for libraries and personal collections. Due to the mystery, I think children up to age 8 will enjoy it.

August 2020 Reviews by Harris.

Book review: Peaceful Fights for Equal Rights, by Rob Sanders, illustrated by Jared Andrew Schorr

Sanders, Rob. Peaceful Fights for Equal Rights. Illus. by Jared Andrew Schorr. Simon & Schuster, 2018. $17.99. unp. ISBN 978-1-5344-2943-7. Ages 4-6. P7Q9

In a land where children no longer have the satisfaction of knowing that adults will protect their future, Sanders gives a minimalist explanation view of what young people can do to make their lives better in the time ahead, suitable for the youngest readers. Alphabetically organized suggestions amidst the collage illustrations go from “assemble” to “be zealous.” An end note, “Peaceful Protests,” gives a brief history of non-violent protests during the 1950s and 1960s, and a glossary finishes the book.

Verdict: Bold graphics incorporate people of ethnic, class, and age diversity who work together toward a common end, and the letter “V” stresses voting, which may encourage parents to get involved. This timely volume carries such vital messages as “every voice matters” and “peaceful ends through peaceful means.”

Fall 2018 review by Nel Ward.

Book review: Boing!: A Very Noisy ABC, by Tim McCanna, illustrated by Jorge Martin

McCanna, Tim. Boing!: A Very Noisy ABC. Illustrated by Jorge Martin. Simon and Schuster Books, 2018. ISBN 9781481487559. Unpaged. Ages 4-7. P7Q8

Boing! is an alphabet story on the go! Starting with a sneeze from grandpa, “Ah-choo!”,  a red ball is flung out of a little boy’s hands and begins a bouncing journey from A-Z. With lots of literary devices including onomatopoeia, alliteration, and repetition, this book is fun to read out loud. The ball takes them over a bridge, to the park, and even to the zoo with whimsical illustrations. The simple one word text is bold, with the first letter in a vibrant color, and the remaining letters that spell the word in black. Just as the story concludes with a “Yawn”, and “Zzzzzzz”, Grandpa sneezes again!

Verdict: A great book for young readers learning the alphabet. This would be a perfect addition for home and preschool/kindergarten. Also, grandparents would love to read this to grandchildren.

November 2018 review by Denyse Marsh.

Book review: Washington, D.C.: Our Nation’s Capital from A-Z, by Alan Schroeder, illustrated by John O’Brien

Schroeder, Alan. Washington, D.C.: Our Nation’s Capital from A-Z. Illus. by John O’Brien. Holiday House, 2018. $17.95. 32p. ISBN 978-0-8234-3678-1. Ages 7-10. P6Q9

From “Act” to “Zorapteran” (an insect in the Smithsonian’s National Museum of Natural History), Schroeder explores lesser-known historical and current facts about “the central star of the constellation which enlightens the world” from trivia to monuments. The main entries are enhanced by quotes from famous people such as John F. Kennedy’s comment, “Washington is a city of Southern efficiency and Northern charm.”

Verdict: Some of the material will go over the heads of the intended audience such as Kennedy’s satirical remark and the quote from VP Dan Quayle, “I stand by all the misstatements that I’ve made.” Yet the book will be useful for social studies, and teachers can use it for more creative projects. Humor adds to the diverse information, both in narration and the whimsical ink-and-watercolor cartoon-style illustrations, and the end papers provide an excellently detailed map of downtown Washington. The plethora of useful information mostly overcomes such omissions as Eleanor Roosevelt’s part in black contralto Marian Anderson’s concert on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial. Two earlier books from this duo—Benjamin Franklin: His Wit and Wisdom from A-Z and Abraham Lincoln: His Wit and Wisdom from A-Z—received stars in Kirkus Reviews.  

March 2018 review by Nel Ward.

Book review: An Artist’s Alphabet, by Norman Messenger

Messenger, Norman. An Artist’s Alphabet. Candlewick, 2016. $17.99. 48p. ISBN 978-0763681234. Ages 7+. P8Q10

Elegant and artistic, the muted pencil and watercolor illustrations use a variety of flora and fauna to illustrate both upper and lower case letters. For example, the book begins with an acrobat standing on a horse for the upper-case A and then curls up for the lower case letter. Most letters are given a two-page spread with the letter in a box on the page to show what the reader is searching. This is a book for people who already know their letters and want to immerse themselves in masterful designs. The Hokusai-like wave representing C introduced readers to the magic of the book.

Fall 2016 review by Nel Ward.

Book review: ABC Dream, by Kim Krans

Krans, Kim. ABC Dream. Random House, 2016. $16.99. ISBN 9780553539295. Unpaged. Ages 3-7. P8Q9.

This a gorgeous, wordless alphabet book. Each spread is devoted to a letter or two, with detailed ink and watercolor illustrations representing items that begin with the letter in question. Children will easily identify some of the objects, and others will be harder. There is a key in the back to settle any questions. I enjoyed flipping through and just looking at the artwork- Krans’ style appeals to me a lot. Parents and kids will find it fun to name and talk about the objects. The author/illustrator is Portland based.

June 2016 review by Carol Schramm.

Book review: D Is for Dress-Up: The ABCs of What We Wear, by Maria Carluccio

Carluccio, Maria. D Is for Dress-Up: The ABCs of What We Wear. Chronicle Books, 2016. $15.99. Unp. ISBN 9781452140254. Ages 3- 5. P7 Q7

D Is for Dress-Up is an alphabet book that pairs each letter with a corresponding clothing or accessory related word. The text is limited to one or two words per page, each located under the letter. Painterly illustrations fill each page with kids modelling the different dress-up words. Even the youngest audience will be able to identify most of the objects in the pictures and, with help, relate them to a letter. Some words are potential vocabulary builders as they may be unfamiliar. Children with an affinity for dress-up and clothing in general will have the most fun reading this book.

May 2016 review by Lillian Curanzy.

Book review: The ABC Animal Orchestra, by Donald Saaf

Saaf, Donald. The ABC Animal Orchestra. Christy Ottaviano Books, 2015. $16.99. ISBN 978-0-8050-9072-7. Unp. Ages 1-4. P7 Q8

The end papers are interesting and engaging as they depict different animals that are doing things to form the shape of first letter of their names. Each letter has several words and pictures for the letter it is representing. Some of the illustrations are a little busy and the animal’s eyes are a little big and wild. I think it is just another great resource for helping teach pre-school children the alphabet.

December 2015 review by Melinda Dye.

[Editor’s note: The alliterative text pairs an animal with a musical instrument or other noise-related term beginning with the same letter–for example, aardvark/accordion.  But, as the alphabet progresses, the author seems to have run out of musical terms and intermission comes into play.]

Book review: ABCs on Wings, by Ramon Olivera

Olivera, Ramon. ABCs on Wings. Little Simon, an imprint of Simon & Schuster, 2015. Unp. $17.99. ISBN 9781481432429. Ages 3-7. P 7 Q 8

Practice the aviation ABCs with Ramon Olivera’s first book, ABCs on Wings. As an illustrator, Olivera has a unique cubist style that he tones down slightly for this book. The pages contain different kinds of winged objects to flesh out these ABCs: however, all letters are assigned to machines that fly. Like many ABC books with a specific theme, it can be tricky to find designations for each letter. In this case, Olivera uses creative solutions for challenging letters like U, V, and X. Each letter is represented in upper and lower case, followed by the usual “…is for…” phrase. ABCs on Wings is a successful alphabet book for those just learning the ABCs, or any child with an affinity for aeronautics.

November 2015 review by Lillian Curanzy.