May 11, 2009
Sierra and Sweet (Schoolyard Rhymes
) collaborate on an alphabet rhyme about rambunctious lower-case letters who won't go to bed (“h tries standing on her head./ i and j jump on the bed”). Bookstore shelves may be crowded with abecedarian offerings, but the bounce of Sierra's meter, the time-for-bed theme and Sweet's offhand pencil and watercolor drawings make the story feel fresh. Throughout, Sierra inserts vocabulary items that incorporate the letters (“u takes off his underwear”) while Sweet provides the laughs (u's gleeful bucktoothed grin as he tosses a pair of outsize polka-dot bloomers in the air). The adults are pictured as capital letters, as they attempt to shepherd their children through their nightly routines. Sweet fills each room with alphabetically appropriate accessories: the X and Y family has a framed yo-yo championship award, while the Ts have a telephone, a tortoise and a tea set. Textiles, loose-leaf binder paper and newsprint are used judiciously for visual interest, while the letters' goggle eyes, toothy smiles and emotive expressions all spell F-U-N. Ages 2–6.
June 1, 2009
PreS-Gr 2-In this winning alphabet-cum-bedtime book, capital-letter parents gradually tuck their lowercase children in for the night. Sierra uses a number of poetic tools as she tears her way through the alphabet (never once mentioning a xylophone) while multimedia elementsa notebook-paper cloud here, a fabric-clothed letter therepepper the pen-and-pencil-outlined watercolor illustrations. Sweet extrapolates the effect of Sierra's alliterative text with perfectly timed, amusing details (it really wouldn't be an alphabet book without that xylophone, would it?). Parents and children, librarians, teachers, and students will pore over this one again and again."Bethany Isaacson, Wheaton Regional Library, Silver Spring, MD"
Copyright 2009 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.
July 1, 2009
Preschool-G When its time for bed in Alphabet Town, the parents (uppercase letters) round up their children (lowercase letters) and head for home. The little letters react in various ways: some act up and try various dodges to avoid bedtime (m is mopey, / n is naughty./ Oops!/ o and p upset the potty), while others become cuddly and compliant (v is very, very snoozy./ w is wobbly-woozy.), but by the last page, nearly every little letter appears to be sleeping soundly. The brief lines of rhythmic, rhyming text are fun to read aloud, reinforcing the sounds of the letters for children still working on their alphabet skills. Using plenty of white space, Sweet combines drawings, washes in fresh colors, and collage elements in a series of illustrations full of spontaneity, wit, and charm. Visual details offer opportunities for children to identify objects beginning with the letters featured on each page. A surprisingly fresh take on an old standby: the alphabet book.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2009, American Library Association.)
July 1, 2009
Twenty-six lowercase letters try to avoid bedtime. Starting with a ("wide awake"--and playing the accordion), we progress through tooth-brushing, undressing, and bedtime stories with intermittent bursts of off-task silliness. Sierra's lively rhyming text sets up the alphabet sequence in a memorable way. Sweet's colorful block letters (clothed but still recognizable) have big round eyes, short limbs, and plenty of attitude.
(Copyright 2009 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)
Starred review from July 1, 2009
Twenty-six children (the lowercase letters) try to avoid bedtime while adults (the uppercase letters) corral them toward the inevitable. Using humor perfectly tuned for the two- to five-year-old audience, Sierra and Sweet's alphabet book will capture the attention of the younger end (who are beginning to learn letter shapes) as well as the older (who will pick up on the sometimes understated use of words beginning with those letters in both text and art). Starting with a ("wide awake" and playing the accordion) and b (who "has a bath to take" but is out riding a bike), we progress through tooth-brushing, undressing, and bedtime stories with intermittent bursts of off-task silliness. Finally, v ("very snoozy") and w ("wobbly-woozy") succumb, leading to inevitable "Z z z's." Sierra's rhyming text may not have as much bounce as Chicka Chicka Boom Boom, but it sets up the alphabet sequence in a more memorable way. Sweet's colorful block letters have big round eyes, short limbs, and plenty of attitude. It's a tricky matter to show letters that are lively and clothed without distorting them to the point of being unrecognizable, but Sweet accomplishes the feat in a seemingly effortless manner. The jaunty text and subversive humor in this hybrid alphabet book/bedtime story will certainly lead to repeat readings and new discoveries.
(Copyright 2009 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)