From Acorn to Zoo: and Everything in Between in Alphabetical Order [Hardcover]

Satoshi Kitamura (Author, Illustrator)

Book Description

Grade Level: P and up

"An alphabet book that is ingenious, fun, and accessible...each page is an exciting visual experience. The artist juxtaposes an incongruous assortment of objects beginning with the same letter, all of the items being neatly and clearly labeled...Should be at the top of everyone's list of essential purchases."-Starred/The Horn Book

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

The latest offering from the gifted creator of When Sheep Cannot Sleep and UFO Diary is, more than a child-oriented alphabet book, a specialized catalogue filled with unconventional items such as aubergine, anemone, eider and ocarina. The eclectic word mix leads to something akin to surrealism--on the book's U spread, for example, Kitamura brings together an umpire and a uniformed baseball player to share a landscape with an umbrella, a ukulele, a UFO, a unicorn and some underwear. The meticulously detailed illustrations, often of rather alienated-looking creatures, are boldly drawn in Kitamura's signature eccentric style, though their frequently tiny scale renders them less than ideal for the alphabet-book set. (Adding to this shortcoming, the items pictured are labeled in very small print.) Many of the birds, such as the linnet and ibis, do not reside in the U.S., and British terminology may prove confusing--the baby wears a nappy, people queue up for a bus. Despite the book's flaws, adult readers will be charmed by the ironic undercurrents of the slender text, and sophisticated children may well be kept busy by its abundance. Ages 3-8.
Copyright 1992 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From School Library Journal

Kindergarten-Grade 1-- With three exceptions (X, Y, and Z all together), each page in this book is devoted to one letter of the alphabet. Wide spaces frame the illustrations that depict articles, animals, or plants that begin with the featured letter. A question is posed next to a small picture at the bottom of each page; the : answer is found by comparing aspects of that scene with the main picture above. These questions are subtle and require some deductive reasoning and close scrutiny. Many of the words, e.g., eider, ukulele, ocarina, will be unfamiliar to children, providing an exercise in vocabulary expansion. The detailed pen-and-ink drawings, done in flat perspectives, are accompanied by labels with tiny print, giving a somewhat cluttered appearance. The labeled items are shown in light colors with placement on dark backgrounds of blues, greens, and browns. Unfortunately, whimsicality is lost because of the rather austere expressions borne by both animals and people. --Mary Lou Budd, Milford South Elementary School, OH
Copyright 1992 Reed Business Information, Inc.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 32 pages
• Publisher: Farrar, Straus and Giroux (BYR) (May 1, 1992)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0374324700
• ISBN-13: 978-0374324704
• Product Dimensions: 10.5 x 8.4 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12.8 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,890,656 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Learning the Letters., April 10, 2002

By 

tvtv3 "tvtv3" (Sorento, IL United States) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: From Acorn to Zoo: and Everything in Between in Alphabetical Order (Paperback)

This is an entertaining alphabet book that does more than help children learn the ABC's. It also helps in increasing their vocabulary and understanding of the world. The pictures in the book look like paper cut outs pasted upon the page. Each page is filled with lots of things that start with the letter of the page. For example everything from apples to armadillos to acorns are pictured and labeled on the "A" page. At the bottom of each page is a question and an illustration that can be answered by careful examining the items listed above. For example, on the "D" page the question is "Why should Dog and Duck duck?" (the answer is dynamite). Kids enjoy looking at this book and it's fun to read to children on a one-on-one basis.

5.0 out of 5 stars Great Service, December 28, 2011

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Lelalu Beach (San Diego, CA United States) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: From Acorn to Zoo: and Everything in Between in Alphabetical Order (Paperback)

"Great service". I ordered this book along with others. They came right away and were in great condition. Spent way less than in a store. Very pleased.