A, My Name Is Alice (Picture Puffin Books) [Paperback]

Jane E. Bayer (Author), Steven Kellogg (Illustrator)

Book Description

Age Level: 3 and up | Grade Level: P and up | Series: Picture Puffin Books

The antic never quite quit as a parade of animals sell their wares in this wildly illustrated version of the familiar alphabet ditty and ball-bouncing game. Young readers will delight in meeting such characters as Barbara, the bear with balloons for sale in Brazil; New York Ned, the newt who owns a noodle emporium, and finally the zipper-selling Zambian zebra and zebu, Zelda and Zach.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Silly husband-and-wife teams and their parade of possessions star in a rollicking alphabet book. Ages 3-7.
Copyright 1987 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 3 and up
  
• Paperback: 32 pages
• Publisher: Puffin (October 1, 1992)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0140546685
• ISBN-13: 978-0140546682
• Product Dimensions: 8.8 x 10.7 x 0.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 4.8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (10 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #130,060 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #9 in Books > 4-for-3 Books > Children's Books > Authors & Illustrators, A-Z > ( K ) > Kellogg, Steven
  • #54 in Books > 4-for-3 Books > Children's Books > Literature > Poetry > General
  • #82 in Books > 4-for-3 Books > Children's Books > Baby-3 > Basic Concepts > Alphabet

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A My Name is Alice, September 24, 2005

By 

Diane L. Patterson - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: A, My Name Is Alice (Picture Puffin Books) (Paperback)

I am a Pre-Kindergarten Readiness teacher in my school district for 5 year olds. This book was listed in my Fountas & Pinnell kindergarten phonics text to assist students in learning to read their names in print. I used this story to highlight my students names as we placed them on the word wall in my classroom. I found the text enjoyable and a great learning tool.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Clever ABC Book, August 16, 2005

By 

S. Salsbury "Love kid's books" (Englewood, CO) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: A, My Name Is Alice (Picture Puffin Books) (Paperback)

This is a great ABC book. It is different from the usual format so it really gets kid's imaginations going. As a teacher I love to have a book that expands vocabulary. This book is good as a model for a class book. I also use it as a part of a first grade maps unit. We find all of these interesting places!

4 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Great Older Readers, but Not an Ideal Alphabet Book, May 13, 2006

By 

A. McHugh (Tinley Park, IL United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: A, My Name Is Alice (Picture Puffin Books) (Paperback)

The format of this book is consistent for each letter of the alphabet. The letter being featured on the page is large and in color. The text length and layout is also consistent page to page. Also, the repeated structure for each letter helps the reader anticipate the same rhythm for each page.
This is an entertaining book but not one that would be appropriate for a very young child. It would be more appropriate for children that are five years or older. On each page, there is a lot of activity. Not only are there two characters, a place, item being sold, and two animals, the illustrations also convey confusion or chaos. For example, the W page says, "W my name is Winifred and my husband's name is William. We come from Wales and we sell whistles. Winifred is a WOLF. William is a WEASEL." The illustration shows the wolf and weasel blowing whistles as seven other animals fly through the air and cover their ears. There is also a clock shattering and two signs with fine print. With so much commotion on each page, it would be difficult for a child to focus on the intended words that showcase the letter for that page.
Another reason this book would not be a good choice for a very young child is that Bayer frequently uses animals, names, and places that might be unfamiliar to the child. For instance, "C my name is Clara and my husband's name is Claude. We come from Calcutta and we sell cakes. Clara is a COW. Claude is a CONDOR." On this page, the author could have chosen more well-known names (Catherine or Carl), place (Cleveland or California), and animals (cat or cougar). However, the author does include notes at the back of the book about some of the less familiar creatures.
All of the reasons that this would not be a good book for a child just learning the alphabet are the reasons as to why it would be extremely fun and entertaining for any child or adult past that developmental stage. The unusual words can provide an instant vocabulary lesson. The illustrations help support the text by clarifying any words that would be unknown to the reader.