Dangerous Alphabet is an "A-is-for..." Alphabet book with a picture-driven plot and the text written in verse.

The poem itself is adequate but the illustrations are where the books shine, being interesting and crammed with detail, yet probably too detailed, subtle, and dark for many children. There's so much going on it might be hard to focus. As mentioned - despite very much being a children's book - it is dark and creepy, and should probably only be purchased for children with a taste for the macabre.
For most of the letters there are related animals, objects, and small details (such as llamas for L, and apples for A) but these are buried under other details. With so much going on the picture's plot is often obfuscated.

The actual poetry is fun, with the letters often standing for concepts and verbs instead of objects (A is for Adventure). ( )

This is a great, and very different alphabet book. Not only does it teach the letters of the alphabet, but it takes the reader on a lovely little adventure as well. This book would be great to use for introducing rhyme, and poetry, or just teaching the alphabet.

My children (boy and girl; 7 and 9) happen to like poetry, so it surprised me that they weren't more enthusiastic about this book. The rhyme is good after all, and I thought that the artwork was interesting, but it didn't grab their attention even after I read it to them.

The subject might have something to do with that dismissal. The book has a rather dark theme, you see, wherein a little boy and his sister go off on a subterranean adventure with their gazelle, only to have some monsters kidnap the girl. It all comes out in the end, but my kids aren't into that sort of adventure at this point. (All throughout the pages there are images of children chained to this, that and the next thing; captured in cages, dragged here and there.)

Here's a sample of the prose:

E's for the Evil
that lures and entices;

F is for Fear
and its
many devices;

G is for Good
as in hero,
and morning;

H is for
"Help me!"
-- a cry,
and a warning;

Good enough rhyme, as you can hear if you read it aloud. And the lyrics are accompanied by appropriate artwork by Gris Grimly. In fact, I'd go farther than that and state that really the artwork makes this book. Particularly as there are places where Gaiman's lyrics mean nothing, and the story is moved along solely by Grimly's images.

The artwork, by the way, is done in a sepia tone, in very detailed manner, in sort of an neo-archaic style. And if you look closely enough, you can even find elements on the page that relate to the target letter: a raven for "R", for example.

Talking Points:::
Just so you know, THE DANGEROUS ALPHABET isn't really a book for small children. The 'alphabet' in the title misleads some folks, but let me assure you that most 3 year old's don't want to see a picture of a child manacled to a wall with something that's either rust or blood dripping down from their wrists.

The target audience is therefore one that already knows their alphabet, and who will enjoy the grisly aspect of the story and artwork.

The book has been given a generic Accelerated Reading number of "5". Which means that it is on the 5th grade level with no specific month determined

Take a look at the art before you purchase this book to make sure that it's appropriate for your target audience.

Fans of Gris Grimly's artwork will be pleased.

Pam T~
mom and reviewer on my kidlit blog ( )

THE DANGEROUS ALPHABET is by far the most disturbing picture book I've ever read. It focuses on two children who leave home one day and encounter all sorts of horrific beasties intent on devouring them. If I'd read it as a small child, it would've scared the hell out of me.

I imagine that most folks are likely to seek this out because of Neil Gaiman's involvement, but it's Gris Grimly's illustrations that really make the book. There's so much to see here, and most of it is creepy as all hell. Grimly doesn't pull any punches just because he's drawing for the under-five crowd. The two children and their adorable pet gazelle, (yes, I said gazelle), encounter such horrors as rusty manacles, suspiciously bulgy burlap sacks and pies with questionable things sticking out of them, plus absolutely scads of "trolls, monsters, bugbears, creatures, and other such nastinesses" as they travel through their city's sewer system. The illustrations are detailed, with all sorts of hidden surprises lurking around the edges. Grimly invites the reader to look closely at what's going on. We get a few other grisly surprises along with the children's story.

I'd certainly recommend this to adults and children with a taste for the macabre. The parents among you may also want to look through it before giving it to your child, though, just in case they're not quite ready for it yet.

(A slightly different version of this review originally appeared on my blog, Stella Matutina). ( )

The creepiest alphabet book I've ever seen. Gaiman's picture books tend to redefine children's literature. This book has a dark, twisted little plot with strange, spooky illustrations. All's well that ends well, but it certainly makes for nightmarish bedtime reading. I absolutely recommend this book--think of it as a modern Grimm's (and I mean old school Grimm's full of demons and gore). ( )

Virtually a poem written in rhyming couplets this alphabetical (A is for...) verse tells the tale of a journey two children take looking for treasure. The poem itself is vague but it is the illustrations which bring the story to life. Extremely detailed with many events happening on each page, one lingers looking deep inside each picture before turning the page. The illustrations add to the text by showing a story of the brother and sister traveling through an ancient sewer-type of environment and the sister gets kidnapped by some ugly looking dudes. The brother then follows them trying to be a hero and rescue his sister. Not recommended as an ABC book for young children as, for one thing, the alphabet is not entirely in order and the author uses creative licence for what the letters stand for such as "Y's your last question", "U are the reader" and "L is, like 'eaven...". Also the pictures are quite creepy with very creepy creatures, skeletons and lots of bones. For the appropriate age it is a fun book with especially fun illustrations. ( )

I liked the book. But I was a bit disappointed to find a few inconstancies between drawings and the text, along with with the sister not doing a whole lot to save herself. I suspect the tween crowd will love this book. ( )

A ghastly abecedarian book containing a "dangerous flaw". This thin volume chronicles the piratical adventures of two small children and their pet gazelle.

The letters are not always represented in the text i.e. "C is the way that we find and we look". But you can have fun finding how many things beginning with each letter are in the picture. i.e. cat, clocks, candles, corpses, cauldron, calamari.

Recommended for ages 5 and up. ( )

In this picture book, the alphabet takes one on an adventure through the strangely conceived illustrations of Gris Grimly. Here, A is for always, B is for boat, C is a metaphor for seeing, D is for Diamonds, E is for Evil, F is for fear, G is for Good, H is for help, I is for I am the author, J is for Joke, K is for kiss, L is for leavin, M is for mirrors, N is for night, O is for ovens, p is for piracy, q is for quiet, r is for river, s is for somewhere, t is for treasure, U is for U are the reader, W is for warnings v is for vile deeds, x is for marks the spot, y is the last question, and z waits alone. The artwork in this book is phenomenal, beautiful conceived in an abstraction of a dark, surrealistic, dream reality, with a cartooony twist. The intensity and substance of the artwork is of great importance to the creativity of this book, it makes it. The storyline on which the pictures follow is touch up; the art definitely makes this book. ( )

While it’s clearly a children’s book, The Dangerous Alphabet has an element of spookiness to it and somber, spidery illustrations that make it just right for adults too. It is “spooky” and could “spook” children, but for one who doesn’t like Halloween because of the spookiness, I have to say this was alright with me.

More on my blog

For the art alone its worth it, and for gaiman, whoo boy! ( )

Probably not the best book if you are just learning to read.However, if you are a bit older and like Neil Gaiman and/or things that go bump in the night...this is the alphabet book for you. ( )

"The Dangerous Alphabet" is told in twenty-six alphabetical lines which comprise thirteen couplets. The story revolves around two young children, a boy and a girl, and their pet gazelle who on finding a treasure map strike out to find the treasure. Along the journey, they meet all kinds of nasty monsters and evil pirates who stand between them and the loot. When the girl is eventually captured, it's up to our young hero to save her. Will he find her in time, and will they uncover the treasure?

Considering he is writing in couplets that are to appeal to children, Gaiman does remarkably well in being creative and staying away from the "groan" factor. (The physical phenomenon in which a rhyme is so egregious you are forced to groan in disgust. I'd give an example, but I prefer to live without the resulting mail bombs.) But "The Dangerous Alphabet" truly lives and dies on the quality of its artwork. And Gris Grimly does an outstanding job here. Grimly's artwork is wonderfully stylistic and interesting, capturing a highly original look and feel and rendering it beautifully.

Last Word:
"The Dangerous Alphabet" should definitely appeal to young children, particularly children just learning the alphabet. While the story is not surprisingly simple in form, the amazing artwork should appeal to children of all ages. ( )

Look out for the objects in the illustrations starting with the same letter. I'm imagining teaching my kids the alphabet using this book, and feeling sorry for their teachers. :-) ( )

As these two children set out to follow their treasure map, they find a sinister world beneath the sewers. The young boy and their plucky gazelle must discard the map and fight past evil pirates and nere-do-wells to rescue his sister who has been snatched away.

Told very simply, in 13 rhyming couplets, coinciding (almost) with the alphabet, you are guided through an underground realm filled with traps and tricks around every corner. The beautiful illustrations give substance to the sparse prose, and adds character to Gaimain's words. Interestingly, many of the background items on each page correspond to the letter being illustrated. For example, on the page for L, there is a ladder, llama, ladybug, lamp, and a ladle. A clever way to backup the alphabetical backbone of this cautionary tale.

This book feels very Edward Gorey to me, in the best possible way. ( )

http://tyranist.blogspot.com/2008/05/... ( )

A well-illustrated poem depicting a pair of children entering into an underworld infested with pirates, monsters, and ghosts. While the theme is the alphabet, my wife (a former nanny) blanched in horror at the idea that this book could be used to teach a child their ABCs, and suggested it not be shown to children below the third grade. ( )

Told through 13 rhyming couplets and accompanying illustrations, Neil Gaiman and Gris Grimly's The Dangerous Alphabet is a delightful (if suspiciously inaccurate) study of the alphabet. We follow the adventures of 2 children, their pet gazelle and their treasure map as they travel underground, on adventures both macabre and perilous, as the alphabet is presented in conjunction with the story.

The story is fun and the rhymes imaginative, but the art is the star here. Gris Grimly's illustrations bring the story to life, and really add an element of almost the grotesque to the story. From the almost rag doll likeness of the children, to the ghosts and ghoulies that inhabit the underground, Grimly's illustration are both beautiful and disturbing at the same time. Take time to study each page, as you'll discover something new each time you look at it. ( )

A creepy, disturbing---but not necessarily in a good way---alphabet book. Two children take an underground journey and manage to survive, but others like them don't escape. Very detailed pictures. Good for Neil Gaiman fans who will see connections to his other work. ( )