Mike Lester

This is a HILARIOUS little book for kids who already know the tired old, tried-and-true routine of A is for alligator, B is for bird, C is for cat, D is for dog. (Actually, in this book B is for a VIKING who also happens to be a beaver, but that's beside the point.)

Each letter shows the actual correct animal demonstrating the wrong noun. My favorites have to be "I can't figure out what Q is for, can you?" when the picture shows several signs pointing "Look, it's a quail!" and "X and Y are show more not important letters. Never use them" with a xylophone and a yo-yo poking out of a garbage truck. Though T is for Polka-dotted Underpants is sure to get a laugh from kids who know not to talk about underpants!

I adore this book muchly, and for the younger or more literal children there's a neat appendix explaining what all the letters (excepting X and Y, oddly) REALLY stand for. show less

When video-game addict Charlie McButton loses power, he has no idea what to do to amuse himself, and resorts to trying to steal batteries from his younger sister.

With a rhyming quality reminiscent of Dr. Seuss, Collin's text manages to simultaneously tell the story and make jokes. She condemns over-dependence on video games, suggests other forms of entertainment without being heavy-handed, and covers sibling relations on top of that. Over the course of the short book, readers truly care for show more Charlie and his younger sister Isabel Jane.

Action-packed pencil and watercolor illustrations convey emotions hinted at in the text. The thin-lined sloppy style, with coloring extending over the penciled outlines, captures the feeling of child-done drawings while still maintaining the quality of an experience illustrator.

Highly recommended for preschool and early elementary listeners. show less

First off, the book is good, but I had a hard time even paying attention to the words thanks to these illustrations. They are very intricate woodcuts, and very, very colorful. They are just.....delightful. I get all tingly just looking at them. The wording and concept of this book also happen to be quite good as well. The book is a simple idea that's been done a million times, with a twist. It's an alphabet book, with an animal for each letter. The twist is the animals are not only doing show more some strange things, but the sentence says what they're doing not the name od the animal. It's hard to explain, but it's quite brilliant. For instance, underneath the letter D, there is a Duck watching t.v. You'd think D is for Duck, but the sentence says "D is for remote control...isn't it?" It's actually very funny. Would kids get it? I'm not sure, I guess it would depend on how old they are. I really got a kick out of it though... show less

I loved this picture book. Charlie McButton is totally plugged in, so when a storm knocks the power out he is desperate for some entertainment. He has an old gadget that would work if only he could find some batteries. All of his little sister’s toys run on batteries which leads him to make some bad choices. However all is not lost, and as he tries to make things up to her he may learn that losing power is not the end of the world. The illustrations are a fantastic piece of this story. show more They add a comic element that made the story even more enjoyable. Everything reads in a lyrical rhyming style making it fun to read out loud. The reminder that playing something that doesn’t require batteries is current but not heavy handed. A gem of a picture book. show less