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
T
ony 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.
B
ut 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.
K
ids 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.
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