A is for Salad (Picture Puffins)

As the title makes obvious, Mike Lester's A Is for Salad is an unconventional alphabet book. The reader's participation will unmask this as a straightforward animal alphabet book cloaked in humor. Each letter receives its own page, with a hand-drawn letter and a fractured statement. "C" is for hot dog (eaten by a cat); "J" is for hats (worn by jellyfish); "T" is for polka-dotted underpants (worn by a tiger). The illustrations, done with rich colors and crosshatched lines, are somewhat dark in appearance and character; animals appear annoyed or embarrassed with their squinty eyes and nervous grins. The illustrations depict silly situations (a lion blow-drying his mane) and nearly naughty scenes (an elephant's behind exposed in the back flap of its pajamas). These illustrations combined with the unconventional outlook of the book make for an exceedingly devious and sly mood for the book. Children who have recently learned their ABC's will enjoy recognizing the correct letter and will take pride in "being in on the joke."

When I first saw this book, I couldn't get over how much fun it was! I've seen ABC books based on fireman's activities, on baby's day, on animals from Montana, but this stands the whole genre on its head! A is for the alligator eating the salad--and a kid who has just learned his ABCs is going to get the joke. It's sophisticated humor for the young reader, and I think that kids will enjoy being let in on the fun.I definitely recommend buying it. A great activity: Have kids write & illustrate their own non-traditional abc book.

I'm the director for a bookmobile and I'm always searching for good kids' books to read aloud. I LOVE this book...the illustrations are GREAT, the idea is fantastic. I chuckle every time I look at the cover. As soon as I got it, I read it to my husband and 14 year old daughter. Please, Mike Lester, write more...soon!

I am the children's librarian at a public library in Wisconsin, and when I first saw this book, I fell out of my chair laughing! I decided to use it for "silly stories" in my story hour, and all the kids got a great kick out of identifying what the letter REALLY stood for. Children may have a hard time identifying the animals for "N" and "I" but otherwise, each letter is well-represented. The illustrations are beautifully done with lots of color and they are balanced nicely on the page. If you're looking for an alphabet with a twist (and to test your child's knowledge), try this one!

This book is an alphabet book intended for both children and adults. I say that because as I read, I could not stop laughing. Each page has an illustration of an animal representing the letter, but the animal is performing an activity. A perfect example the cover where "A Is for Salad" refers an alligator eating salad. It will be a challenge for youngsters and a delight for adults.