Alligators All Around

I love Maurice Sendak books, but I can't use an alphabet book where I is "Imitating Indians." I wish I had known this before I bought the book so I'm writing this review.

Maurice Sendak's Alligators All Around: An Alphabet portrays a family of three alligators through the ups and downs of daily life in their household. Not a traditional narrative, the personalities of the alligator family emerge in a series of humorous vignettes associated with each letter of the alphabet. "D" shows the child grudgingly helping his father "doing dishes"; "G" shows the family enjoying each other's company "getting giggles"; "T" shows the child "throwing tantrums," which may be the cause for "H" showing the parents in bed with cold compresses "having headaches." Each letter receives one page, with three-color illustrations appearing in boxed panels. Sendak's unique style comes through, with the alligator parents showing shades of "wild things" and the alligator child marching across the pages like Max. Beneath the illustrations, an uppercase serif letter appears in the lower-left corner along with the associated phrase of words starting with the letter. Children will love the small size of the book (approximately 5"x7") and will notice the relationship between the letters of the alphabet and the sounds they make in words.

This is an alphabet book featuring alligators drawn by Maurice Sendak. Each letter has the alligators doing some activity, such as getting giggles for "g" or throwing tantrums for "t". The book is cute and not scary. It has about 60 words.

Wow! This is the best alphabet book ever! With words such as "N Never Napping, O Ordering Oatmeal, P Pushing People", along with adorable pictures of the goofy alligator pulling these stunts, this book is the love of many young children. Any child who misses out on this book is missing out on a treasure!

The protagonist of this story is a suave, precociously cultured alligator. Through a series of events that range from shocking to awe-inspiring, the alligator regales the reader with powerful depictions of the versatility and charm that can be found in the alphabet. I found this book to be no less than the pinnacle of alphabet teaching aids, with its captivatingly vivid imagery that grabs the reader's interest and refuses to let go. People of all ages, particularly very young children, will find this book invaluable as a letter learning tool.

Maurice Sendak and learning the alphabet! This combination is a winner. I loved this book so much as a child. I now use it as a stress reducer in my adult life. Maurice Sendak was before his time with this one. Children of all ages can glean something from it. Whether it is learning the alphabet or getting the giggles with the letter "G". A must for all great home libraries.