Brain train An off-the-rails journey from A to ZZZ

When a red-coated ant attendant announces that the Brain Train is departing for the Memory Palace from platform A, this raucous alphabet adventure from Mylie (Hello Day) seems to be proceeding according to schedule. Ink and watercolor illustrations chock-full of seek-and-find elements evoke a vintage nursery rhyme vibe, while the text employs giggle-inducing alliteration. (For the letter E, an audience including an eagle, an elephant, and a giant teary eye watch a puppet performance: "Elves rescue the earth, and it's very emotional. Everybody cries.") But the train derails dramatically on a spread representing the letter F, and the whole alphabet suddenly falls out of order. T follows J, M precedes L, and unplanned letter-themed adventures include navigating a trash-filled vat of tar. Initially discombobulated, the passengers soon roll with the punches and reach their destination in high spirits. Before kicking off a party, a vixen queen declares, "You found your way. The key to unlocking the mystery of reading is memory." Though the closing point about reading comprehension may not be crystal clear, this unconventional journey assures that alphabet fluency needn't always follow the main line. An author's note concludes. Ages 4--8. (Oct.)

In this alphabet book, a derailed train's off-course journey creates delightful chaos. Traveling from A to Z, the vehicle goes spectacularly off the rails, jumbling the order of the ABCs in charming ways. Each letter receives focused attention as Mylie peppers his alliterative text with onomatopoeia--"DING DING! Delivery! Delicious dinner is served!"--that adds playful energy to the reading experience. His ink and watercolor illustrations have a wonderfully bustling, vintage quality that rewards careful examination. They evoke the spirit of the 1980s book series Sweet Pickles, in which a green pickle bus (rather than a train) and similar-looking friendly animal characters helped preschoolers (perhaps Mylie himself?) learn to love reading. The compositions burst with activity and detail, using varied perspectives and dynamic angles to create visual excitement. Warm, saturated colors fill the pages, resulting in an inviting atmosphere, while the strategic use of contrasting hues helps important elements pop from busy backgrounds. Sharp-eyed readers can hunt for both uppercase and lowercase letters cleverly hidden within each scene, plus objects that begin with the featured letter (a dog, a dragon, a dolphin, daffodils, and dice populate the D page). The journey to the Memory Palace provides a cohesive narrative framework that gives purpose to the alphabetical disorder, while the abundant visual details support multiple early-literacy skills, including phonological awareness, letter recognition, and vocabulary building. A thoughtful alphabet book that succeeds in making letter learning feel like an adventure worth taking. (author's note)(Picture book. 4-8) Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.