G Is for One Gzonk!: An Alpha-number-bet Book    by Tony DiTerlizzi Order:  USA  Can Simon & Schuster, 2006 (2006) Hardcover Read an Excerpt      Reviewed by Hilary Williamson Tony DiTerlizzi, co-author (with Holly Black) of The Spiderwick Chronicles, now brings us a hilariously monstrous Alpha-number-bet Book, G Is for One Gzonk!, whose style is reminiscent of Dr. Seuss - indeed it begins with a tribute 'In memory of Good Doctor Ted, / his pantone pantomime / and surgical precision / with picture, wit, and rhyme'. A boy - Tiny DiTerlooney - introduces his book where 'nothing makes sense at all', i.e. he works hard to make sure the illustrations don't relate to each letter, though he sneaks in wonderful words like outrageously. He first paints 'A is for an Angry Ack. / He eats your dirty clothes. / His favorite snack is stinky socks / with jam packed in the toes.' I also rather like the Dinkalicious Dinky who does yoga on a pin. But Tiny has problems to contend with, as Teedle-Weenie Woo infiltrate his picture book and try to turn it into a counting book! They keep peeking into the pages and commenting on the critters, annoying Tiny who gives them complex arithmetic to work out - when they succeed, he decides to work with them and includes numbers in his descriptive text. But there's still plenty of dissension to keep things fun. Kids of all ages will love the subversion and the wacky drawings in 'this alpha-bet-a-licious book' and might - despite all the author's best efforts - even learn a little about letters and numbers as they flip the pages. Note: Opinions expressed in reviews and articles on this site are those of the author(s) and not necessarily those of BookLoons. Find more Kids books on our Shelves or in our book Reviews