Kipper's A to Z: An Alphabet Adventure [Hardcover]

Mick Inkpen (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: March 1, 2001 | Age Level: 3 and up | Grade Level: P and up | Series: Kipper

Kipper and Arnold are on an alphabet adventure! What can they find for each letter? They find ladybugs for L. And toys for T. But what begins with X? That's a hard one. Kipper and Arnold need your help!

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

Kipper and his little friend Arnold are on an alphabet search. It all starts when the young pig Arnold finds an ant. "Aa is for ant. And Arnold." Well, to be perfectly honest, it starts a little earlier, before the book even officially begins, when Kipper the pudgy brown dog tells a zebra, "We won't need you till much, much later." Throughout, as Kipper and Arnold find (and sometimes lose) a buzzing bumblebee, a caterpillar (actually, the caterpillar finds them), a duck, and a menagerie of other alphabetized critters, the earnestly eager zebra appears, ever hopeful that his day in the sun has arrived. "Nn is for No, not now!" Kipper tells him. After "Juice...And a bit of jam, too," "Splish! Splosh! Splash! And six squishy slugs," and V, which is "very, very hard" (when they can't find a volcano, they make a picture of one instead), the zebra asks one last time. "Is it my turn? Is it? Is it?" Kipper is happy to report, "Yy is for Yes!" The zebra stands proudly in the middle of the page, and everyone says, "Zz is for Zebra!"

Mick Inkpen's enchanting Kipper stories can be found on TV's Nick Jr. and in his many picture books (Kipper, Kipper's Birthday, Kipper's Snowy Day, and lots more). This Alphabet Adventure, with its adorable details and witty subplots, is sure to win hordes of new fans. (Ages 2 to 5) --Emilie Coulter

From Publishers Weekly

Creepy crawly critters and recurring jokes feature in this sprightly ABC tale. In a teaser, ahead of the title page, the eponymous pooch tells a zebra, "We won't need you till much, much later." Inkpen thus signals his plans to eschew a formulaic abecedarian approach and introduces the letters in inventive ways, giving his volume a rollicking spontaneity and a story line. In some cases, the author subtly slips the spotlighted letter into the narrative, which follows Kipper and his pig pal, Arnold, as they encounter bugs, animals and other objects, most of which Arnold places in a box (e.g., "He opened his box and put the interesting insect inside"). Other whimsical touches include the reemergence of creatures introduced on previous pages; inventive use of type (as on the spread introducing h, when the text forms an arc shaped around a hill); the intermittent appearance of the earnest zebra, who wants to know if it's his turn yet (to which Kipper replies, "No, not now!... You don't begin with N"); and one quite waggish omission: "Kipper couldn't think of anything beginning with K. Can you think of anything?" Yet likely the strongest selling point here is Inkpen's signature charming, childlike art, which offers endearing images of these expressive young animal characters at every turn. Adorable, breezy, clever, this is the alphabet book of choice. Ages 3-7.
Copyright 2001 Reed Business Information, Inc.

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Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 3 and up
  
• Hardcover: 56 pages
• Publisher: Harcourt Children's Books (March 1, 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0152025944
• ISBN-13: 978-0152025946
• Product Dimensions: 10.8 x 9.8 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (23 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #159,712 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Mick Inkpen is one of the top-selling picture book artists and writers in the world. The Kipper and Wibbly Pig stories have millions of readers worldwide. He has won the British Book Award twice for Lullabyhullaballoo and Penguin Small and the Children's Book Award for Threadbear. He has also been shortlisted for the Kate Greenaway Medal and the Smarties Award three times, winning Bronze for Wibbly Pig's Silly Big Bear. In addition to this, Kipper won a BAFTA for best animated children's film in 1998.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

15 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Wonderful book!, March 8, 2001

By A Customer

This review is from: Kipper's A to Z: An Alphabet Adventure (Hardcover)

This book is great! It creatively and humorously takes you through the alphabet with adorable illustrations and fun topics. Kipper and Arnold start at A and meet their Zebra friend at Z, encountering many creatures along the way. Not your typical "A is for apple book," These hosts introduce words like volcano and "No, Not now!" This book can and should definitely be used for children younger than five...a great way to start introducing reading to toddlers! Mick Inkpen has done it again with this wonderful book!

11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars kreimuller, October 14, 2002

By A Customer

This review is from: Kipper's A to Z: An Alphabet Adventure (Hardcover)

Ages 3-6 and older children with spatial/visual deficits. Kipper, a sweet little brown dog, and his pink pig friend, Arnold, wander from A to Z finding creatures and things to represent each letter of the alphabet and its sound. Starting with ant, buzzing bumblebee and crawly caterpillar, the pair amuses themselves by seeking out objects for each letter in sequence. The large book format gives enough space for the simple watercolor figures to be silhouetted on a white background along with big, black text with the letter at issue in even bigger, bolder black. Children, even as young as 3 or those with spatial and visual learning deficits, will be hard pushed to miss the letter and its representative, and the sound of each letter is often repeated in descriptive words highlighting it to listening ears. Not only does the book teach the letters and their sounds, but many humorous touches make it multileveled for older children and fun for adults. Such as when Kipper and Arnold cannot find an item for the letter k, older readers will shout out proudly,[KIPPER!] Or, the reappearing zebra who continually wonders when it?s his turn, will bring giggles because everyone knows zebra always comes last at Z. A gentle, sometimes silly wander through the alphabet.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Nice, but..., December 26, 2005

By 

Jill Lim (Singapore) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Kipper's A to Z: An Alphabet Adventure (Hardcover)

A really nice book that covers each letter of the alphabet. It has easy-to-read large print and clean, tidy drawings of some of the familiar Kipper characters (mainly Kipper and Arnold).

My only objection is that the edition I have has some Americanisms, like ladybug, instead of ladybird (I suppose because the publisher, Red Wagon Books, an imprint of Harcourt, is US-based). That doesn't go with the very English Kipper of the animated series. But aside from that, it's a lovely book.