The Alphabet from A to Y With Bonus Letter Z!

Steve Martin’s alphabet book, The Alphabet from A to Y with Bonus Letter Z!, is an amusing trip through the alphabet that will probably entertainment parents more than children. Each letter of the alphabet is presented in a couplet that is jam-packed with alliteration, but therein lies the problem: there is simply too much going on with each page (especially the illustrations) for this to effectively serve the educational development of young children. Whereas age-appropriate alphabet books for children, like Louise Gardner’s My First Alphabet Book, focus on simplicity and focus, Steve Martin’s book favors silliness for succinctness. Older children will delight in Martin’s zany wordplay and Chast’s in-depth illustrations, but show more developing readers will most likely be too overwhelmed with sensory details to make sense of this book.

Citation:
Martin, Steve, and Roz Chast. The Alphabet from A to Y with Bonus Letter Z! New York: Flying Dolphin, 2007. Print. show less

Pretty cute alphabet book! Enjoyed the illustrations too. E and M were my favorites in this one.

Another great addition to any classroom. Makes children want to reread also because the pictures have their own stories to tell. I think kids would just love reading this book because it would make them laugh.

This book illustrates different cartoon-like drawings for each letter. Children can use their imagination and will find this funny and can relate to many things in the book.

Possibly the worst children's book I've ever seen (and my grandson agrees). It might appeal to some adults, but at the age of kids who are trying to learn the alphabet, the jokes are simply baffling. Yuck!

5P

For preschoolers and older children (up to 2nd grade).