The Accidental Zucchini: An Unexpected Alphabet [Paperback]

Max Grover (Author)

Book Description

Age Level: 4 and up | Grade Level: K and up

In Max Grover’s zany alphabet book, ordinary objects become fresh and new, while the extraordinary suddenly look familiar. Chew the fat with a neighbor over your Fork Fence! Ride the Macaroni Merry-go-round for the twirl of your life! And, heavens, hope for sunshine if you’re wearing your Umbrella Underwear! “A funny, loopy variation of a standard, bound to inspire youngsters to whip up their own weird wordings.”--Publishers Weekly

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

In yet another of this season's pleasingly off-kilter alphabet books, "A" is not for anything as pedestrian as an apple. Try "apple autos"--gigantic, wheeled apples puttering through city streets. Or "octopus overalls," eight-legged overalls flapping on a clothesline. While a few of Grover's alphabetic juxtapositions seem a bit stale ("railroad race"), most are agreeably odd ("macaroni merry-go-round"), and several are downright disconcerting ("vegetable volcano," which spews ears of corn, beets and lettuce on an unsuspecting city). The book's flat planes of color and distorted, childlike lines conjoin nicely with the skewed subject matter. A funny, loopy variation of a standard, bound to inspire youngsters to whip up their own weird wordings. Ages 4-7.
Copyright 1993 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From School Library Journal

Kindergarten-Grade 2-A wacky alphabet book with the best line on the cover. The clever title describes a wonderfully crazy world in which zucchini crop up everywhere. Readers see airplanes, cars, fences, gumballs, jewelry, and even road signs made from the ubiquitous green vegetable. From "apple antics" to "octopus overalls" and "ice cream island" to "sailor salad," children are treated to a humorous word game that doesn't go anywhere. There is no plot, no point. The text is merely a description of the illustrations. This is not a beginner's alphabet book, as there are no examples of uppercase and lowercase letters, and there isn't enough here for older readers. The colorful, vibrant acrylic paintings are crisp and lively. Reminiscent of Mark Teague's style, these are funny, clever, artsy pictures that make adults chuckle but won't do much for children. Librarians can skip this unless there is a demand for off-the-wall alphabet books.
Beth Tegart, Oneida City Schools, NY
Copyright 1993 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

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Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 4 and up
  
• Paperback: 36 pages
• Publisher: Sandpiper (August 1, 1997)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0152015450
• ISBN-13: 978-0152015459
• Product Dimensions: 10.6 x 9.8 x 0.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 4.8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #497,283 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

12 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars this works in the classroom --unlike many of the new ABCs, January 19, 1998

By A Customer

This review is from: The Accidental Zucchini: An Unexpected Alphabet (Paperback)

This books keeps the letters graphically clear as symbols ( so kids can ID them ) yet is funny and appeals to their magic thinking. Kids love it, and as a footnote adults will like it too.

2.0 out of 5 stars another book wimps out on the letter X, July 18, 2011

By 

NJMom - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: The Accidental Zucchini: An Unexpected Alphabet (Paperback)

With the format of this book there would have been plenty of wonderful ways to present the letter X. Instead the book uses the phrase "extra X's". This does not help with reading and letter comprehension because every other letter had a page devoted to it with a 2 word phrase using the same letter for each word to present the letter featured on the page. When this pattern is broken for the letter X page only it is confusing to young children's learning

5.0 out of 5 stars Great Fun, October 27, 2008

By 

chilirlw "chilirlw" - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Accidental Zucchini: An Unexpected Alphabet (Paperback)

My 4 year old boy giggled at almost every page of this book. 'Nuff said.