The Alphabet from A to Y With Bonus Letter Z! (Hardcover)

~ (Author), Roz Chast (Author)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description

The acclaimed entertainer and bestselling author Steve Martin and the wildly clever New Yorker cartoonist Roz Chast team up in a weird, wonderful excursion through the alphabet.

The ABCs have never had it so good. Created by two of today’s wittiest, most imaginative minds, The Alphabet from A to Y with Bonus Letter Z! is a sheer delight from A to Z. In twenty-six alliterative couplets, Steve Martin conjures up much more than mere apples and zebras. Instead we meet Horace the hare, whose hairdo hides hunchbacks, and Ollie the owl, who owed Owen an oboe. Roz Chast contributes the perfect visual settings for Martin’s zany two-liners. Her instantly recognizable drawings are packed with humorous touches both broad and subtle.

Each rereading—and there will be many—delivers new delights and discoveries. There, hidden behind Bad Baby Bubbleducks, is a framed picture of a beatnik holding balloons; and the letter C finds clunky Clarissa all clingy and clueless adrift in a landscape cluttered with images ranging from a curiously comfortable clown to Chuck’s Chili stand. A smart, laugh-inducing introduction to the alphabet for young children, The Alphabet from A to Y with Bonus Letter Z! will also enchant adults with its matchless mix of the sophisticated and the silly.

About the Author

STEVE MARTIN is a celebrated writer, actor, and performer. His film credits include The Jerk, Father of the Bride, and The Spanish Prisoner, as well as Roxanne, L.A. Story, and Bowfinger, for which he also wrote the screenplays. He is the author of the play Picasso at the Lapin Agile and of the bestselling collection of comic pieces Pure Drivel, as well as the bestselling novellas The Pleasure of My Company and Shopgirl, which was made into a popular movie. His work appears frequently in The New Yorker and the New York Times. He lives in Los Angeles.

ROZ CHAST's cartoons have been appearing in The New Yorker since 1978. Her work also has appeared in many publications, including Scientific American, Travel & Leisure, the Harvard Business Review as well as many others. She has also published several cartoon collections, illustrated children's books, and designed CD covers, book jackets, and theater posters. Her most recent book is Theories of Everything (Bloomsbury, 2006). She was born in Brooklyn, New York, and currently resides in Connecticut.

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 4-8
  
• Hardcover: 64 pages
• Publisher: Flying Dolphin Press (October 23, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0385516622
• ISBN-13: 978-0385516624
• Product Dimensions: 10.3 x 8.1 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.1 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (36 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #197,255 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

41 of 42 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Start a conversation with your child, October 30, 2007

By	J. Hanks (Charleston, WV United States) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This is an excellent book that will keep Mom and Dad interested during those MULTIPLE readings. Steve Martin and Roz Chast have created an extraordinarily clever treatment of the alphabet. Martin's typically off-the-wall humor is evident throughout. His couplets are saturated with alternative useage of each letter and sound of the alphabet. The vocabulary is engaging and stimulating. Chast takes it to a deeper level through often hilarious illustrations and additional vocabulary. You cannot get it all the first time.

This book will prompt questions and comments from your child that will result in true conversation. The references to unusual places, animals and literature will encourage your child to explore new things and exercise his or her imagination and curiosity. What other similar book introduces the beatnik or frijoles? "A" is no longer just for "apple." It is for "appendicitis," "acne," and "ampersand."

My only reservation is for some of the content. This book includes references to alcohol, and one character shouts the invective, "That's a lousy lie, you lowlife!" Some readers may choose to exercise caution before introducing these concepts during bedtime story time.

All-in-all I highly recommend this book for its intellectual stimulation and creativity. This is probably the most unique book of its kind I have ever seen.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Funny and ridiculous, November 10, 2007

By	Andree 215 (Massachusetts) - See all my reviews

I can't imagine a more ridiculous funny alphabet book. It's vocabulary is beyond most kids, but what the kids will love is the sound of the language used, the alliteration, the rhyming couplets. it's awesome.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars I really wanted to like this book, May 12, 2008

By	Stanley Cup "Hockey Mom" (Holly Springs, NC) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

I love Steve Martin and I love the books he writes for adults. I bought this book without having read it first, and now I wish I had not. This book is definitely not for a child just learning their ABC's--the reason that I bought it (for my 2-1/2 year old). The words are too complex, and the illustrations are not what I would consider kid-friendly. By the time you find an age group that would "get" the humor in the book, and have an attention span long enough to really look at all the illustrations, these kids are well beyond wanting to read books about the alphabet, because they have already mastered it. (The illustration's captions really are complex, and use a lot words relating to the letter they correspond with, but young children will not "get" most of the humor that is intended.) I grew tired of reading all the little side-bar comments that went with the pictures after the letter "M". It just took too long to explain all the meanings of the words(to my 6 year old), and he began to lose interest. The bright spot to the book, is that the author does use unusual words for each letter, so if you are looking for something other than the standard fare like "A is for apple, and ant and airplane...", you will find it refreshing. I am not sure what age group Mr. Martin was targeting, but I think that it misses the mark at just about all age levels. I would recommend getting the book from your library first to see what kind of interest your child has in it, before investing in your own copy. I wish that I had.