A is for Salad (Picture Puffins)

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 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 show more 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

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 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 show more 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

Do you or your young readers every get tired of alphabet animal books where z is always for zebra? In Mike Lester's twist, the right animals appear, but the text refers to something the animals are wearing or doing in the illustration. "M is for cowboy boots", which the moose is wearing.

Kids who have the hang of the alphabet will crack up over correcting the book by properly identifying the animals. The illustrations add to the hilarity; a grumpy lion with a hair dryer is particularly funny. This would make a great read aloud for a group of second graders.

What a clever children's book! It uses incorrect answers to prompt thinking about the alphabet. And the pictures and examples are very cool.

This is a very entertaining book. Instead of the traditional a is for apple, ect., the writer gives a word that does not start with that letter. A is for salad. The cute part is that the picture does show something that does start with that letter, like a is for salad, and there is an alligator eating salad. I would use this book to have my students pick out the real picture that starts with that letter.

Summary:
A is for Salad is a walk through the alphabet, one letter at a time, where each word given does not actually start with the corresponding letter. However, the illustration contains an item that does start with the letter given.

Personal Reflection:
I thought this was a great book and the illustrations were well done and exuded a sense of humor.

Classroom Extension Ideas:
-This book would be great for children who have some concept of phonetic identification and could be used as a participatory activity in locating the item in the picture that does start with the correct letter.

This story is about the alphabet but the words they tell you the letter is for makes no sense. The teacher would have to point out that the letters stand for the animal. So, A is for salad but the letter A is for Alligator not salad. This book will have students confused and laughing at the story. They will love that it seems wrong.