Review by Booklist Review
Who says A comes first and Z goes last? Taking the stage in an uncharacteristically disorderly lineup, the letters of the alphabet speak up and act out like a group of unruly children, jockeying for better positions in the line, demanding second turns, and even taking bathroom breaks. The result is a zany alphabetical romp that begins with an animated letter Z (Zebra and I are SICK of this last-in-line stuff! ) and proceeds with splendid chaos to include all the letters, ending with A getting the last word. Every child whose name makes him or her last on any list will feel a kinship with the complaints of the end-of-alphabet letters, and perhaps other kids will see the justice of their grievance. Reflecting the letters' saucy ways, the colorful, stylized artwork dramatizes the action and offers bits of comic byplay for the observant. An alphabet book with attitude. --Carolyn Phelan Copyright 2006 Booklist
From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.
Review by School Library Journal Review
Gr 1-2-Letter A starts to introduce itself and is interrupted by activist letter Z, demanding fair and equal turns at going first, wary of its last place in line, and followed in backwards order by letters Y, X, W, and (oops!) P. Soon all harmony disappears out the window, with the bickering letters and their accompanying words. Letter A remains disgruntled, and letter V insists on a second turn. Turmoil grows until letter A blossoms with not one, but a whole spread of words beginning with its sound. Digitally created googly-eyed letters with stick arms and legs, washed in bold colors, animate the alphabet with personality and emotions. Letter R performs a parody of "Singing in the Rain," letter B is suspended from big beautiful balloons, letter Y knits a yarn cap, and a Sendak "Wild Thing" look-alike represents the letter M. Plenty of details to absorb, colorful images to grab the eye, and a confused letter template running below the action create alphabet antics for early readers. A fun addition.-Mary Elam, Forman Elementary School, Plano, TX (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
(c) Copyright Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Review by Horn Book Review
Tired of being last, the letter Z leads a raucous call for reordering, which leads to silly alphabet anarchy and the message that it's okay to mix things up. Bold, colorful digitally created illustrations add to the humor. The text presents some creative letter associations, such as ""A is for accordian"" (although the title's ""oops"" could also refer to the book's misspelling of accordion). (c) Copyright 2010. The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted. All rights reserved.
(c) Copyright The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Review by Kirkus Book Review
A hysterical take on what might happen if the letters of the alphabet mixed things up a bit. When A tries to start off the show, Z storms the stage with zebra, tired of always being last. So, the letters decide to try it differently. Z Y X W, all is going well until P jumps in, not wanting to be always in the middle. P O N, but then H staggers out, wanting to keep his same spot in the line-up. At that point, it becomes a free-for-all, and the giggles are sure to start. V takes his turn, but then tries to take another so he can say something else that starts with V. Z does not respond kindly to this nonsense: "Ooh, V is for violence." Without their usual order, the letters have trouble determining if all of them have had a turn, but find U in the nick of time: "U's been in the bathroom since P took over." A ends the show spectacularly and earns an apology from Z for his pushiness. Kolar's illustrations suit the zaniness of the text perfectly. Difficult as it is to imagine, the letters have facial expressions and personalities. A ruled line at the bottom of the spread helps readers keep track of the out-of-order letters. A must for preschool and elementary classrooms. (Picture book. 3-8) Copyright ©Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
