THE alphabet book to top all others, from the illustrator of the #1 New York Times bestselling The Day the Crayons Quit!
If words make up the stories and letters make up the words, then stories are made up of letters. In this menagerie we have stories made of words, made FOR all the letters.
The most inventive and irresistible book of the year spans a mere 26 letters (don't they all!) and 112 pages. From an Astronaut who's afraid of heights, to a Bridge that ends up burned between friends, to a Cup stuck in a cupboard and longing for freedom, Once Upon an Alphabet is a creative tour de force from A through Z. Slyly funny in a way kids can't resist, and gorgeously illustrated in a way readers of all ages will pour over, this series of interconnected stories and characters explores the alphabet in a way that will forever raise the bar.
In Once Upon an Alphabet, #1 New York Times bestseller Oliver Jeffers has created a stunning collection of words and artwork that is a story book, alphabet book, and gorgeously designed art book all in one.
Praise for ONCE UPON AN ALPHABET:
An Best Book of 2014!
A Publishers Weekly Best Book of the Year!
A School Library Journal Best Book of the Year!
* "The silly, spare, slightly surreal text occasionally rhymes and endlessly surprises. An utterly delightful alphabet book."–Kirkus Review, starred review
* "With wry humor, equally droll ink illustrations, and a solid dose of alliteration, Jeffers creates delightful mini-narratives for each letter of the alphabet."–Publishers Weekly, starred review
* "An altogether stimulating, surprising, and satisfying reading experience."–School Library Journal, starred review
* "Whimsical, funny, occasionally tragic, and highly entertaining, this collection of (sometimes) interlocking tales is brilliantly inventive."–Horn Book, starred review
"Jeffers knows how to catch the attention of his young audience while challenging their imagination, intellect and vocabulary. This whimsical exploration of letters and language begs to be read over and over again."–BookPage
"Handsome, humorous and clad in bright tomato-red, [this] is the sort of book you may want to rush into the arms of imaginative, good-natured children between 4 and 10 years old. [T]his is no traditional abecedarian exercise.The stories are wonderfully varied, sometimes philosophical and often end surprisingly; the drawings are just as quirky and unpredictable."–The Wall Street Journal
"[W]itty from A to Z . . . no one would blame you for having a copy even if there are no kids in the house. Think of it as Edward Gorey for the preschool set — and their hip parents."–The Washington Post
Customer Reviews
Most helpful customer reviews
292 of 338 people found the following review helpful.
Morbid and Creepy - Not Safe for Children
By Juliette D. Paradise
DO NOT BUY THIS FOR YOUR CHILDREN. I am dumbfounded as to why this book is on a bestseller list of *children's* stories, though it makes a little more sense when I read some of the reviews posted here. I don't believe they're from parents or actual buyers - they mostly repeat what is said in the sales description. I heard the NPR interview with the author. They made the book sound like a light-hearted collection of stories about each letter of the alphabet. I was so excited to order this book in anticipation of my friend's son turning 3 years old next month. But the book arrived at my office today and I shared it with other parents and we all agree that the book is NOT APPROPRIATE for children who are even 8, 9, 10, 11, or 12 years old, and by those ages, they've already learned the alphabet.Here is what's really inside this book:- Incredibly DARK, morbid and creepy stories. Examples: A child setting a bridge on fire (try to get a 4 year old to understand the metaphor of burning bridges why don't you), a woman falling off a cliff to her death, a cup jumping to its death, a man being electrocuted. The stories might be amusing for 20-somethings at a cocktail party, not for young children learning the alphabet.- Words that a child just learning the alphabet would not understand. Would your 5 year old understand what an "enigma" or a "molecule" is?- Insulting and discouraging language, such as calling one character lazy and another character stupid.I was very disappointed and will be searching for a much more appropriate birthday present.
107 of 121 people found the following review helpful.Not really a kids book, especially for 3-5 year olds...
By AC
Wit and dry humor, however as a parent of a 3, 6, and 10 year old- not one of them would appreciate these stories as they are somewhat negative and deflating letter after letter. This is a book for the dry humored adult, not a bedtime story book as I had hoped.
19 of 19 people found the following review helpful.Loved the illustrations, not so much the story.
By K. M. McKinney
I wasn't quite as impressed as I thought I would be. I loved the illustrations, but the stories seemed a bit off...some were quite dark (which I got, but could be too much for some kids).
