The girls of the Gaggle of Girls love dogs. We have 2 dogs, both of whom are good with the kids, and one that loves playing fetch with tennis balls and frisbees. But yet they begged for a new dog and/or a puppy regularly. We check out breed books and research training techiques, but there’s nothing quite like a real puppy. Imagine the joy when I got a puppy for my birthday!

For those of you who also have dog and puppy-loving kids, weve found two great puppy/dog themed picture books that you’ll love. We love Amy E. Sklansky’s books, including The Duck who Played the kazoo, so we were thrilled to find From the Doghouse: Poems to Chew On. We’ve loved the Fancy Nancy books by Jane O’Connor (as well as her adult novel), so we were eager to read The Perfect Puppy for Me. Both books celebrate the joy of dogs and puppies in a unique way, and in a way that will enchant the adult reading the story as well as the listening kids.

From the Doghouse: Poems to Chew On is a collection of dog-themed poems by Amy E. Sklansky, and illustrated by a team of 4 beaders: Karla Firehammer, Karen Dismukes, Sandy Koeser, and Cathy McQuitty. Each page has a poem, often one that will make you grin. Each of the poems is beautifully illustrated by using small beads on fabric to create an image. The poems are in a variety of styles, which encourages the inner poet in children by making poetry so accessible. Each illustration took 40-120 hours, a lot of work, and with an end result that makes a huge impact!

One sweet poem is called “Into Your Loving Arms I Leap:

Into your loving arms I leap –
Please scratch between my ears.
I love the way you cuddle me
And ease my dogy fears.

The mix of sweet and funny poems plus bead-iful illustrations makes From the Doghouse a great read. Even if you’re leery of poetry, give this a try! Sklansky writes poems that are really enjoyable and accessible, this is a fun read for the adult as well as for the kids!

Jane O’Connor and Jessie Hartland teamed up to write The Perfect Puppy for Me, with Jessie Hartland also providing the illustrations. This book is about a boy who loves dogs as he looks at the dogs around him, trying to find the perfect dog/puppy for himself. (A warning to parents – the boy is getting a puppy for his birthday – be prepared with an answer about puppies and your own child’s birthday!) Each two-page spread is about one of the dogs the boy knows, each one highlighting a different breed. When looking at the dogs and breeds, you learn the pros and cons of each type of dog, and why a certain breed may or may not be the perfect dog for your family. (They don’t include the type of dog in our family, though – Australian Cattle Dogs.

My daughters were excited to learn the little tidbits of information and trivia on the pages, and found some of the listings very funny. For example, when talking about his friend’s basset hound, the boy says, “Here is what Poker likes to do: sleep, nap, snooze, rest”. The assessments of each dog breed seem very accurate, and my girls quickly realized that some breeds would be a better fit for our family than others. Now that we have a puppy, they are especially curious to know the answer to a question posed by the book, is there a dog tooth fairy? The combination of cute illustrations, real breed information, and a story where the boy gets a puppy at the end made this book a winner in our family!

If your kids love dogs and puppies, and you’re looking for picture books youll enjoy reading, pick up The Perfect Puppy for Me and From the Doghouse. If you get a new puppy, good luck! You might also want to pick up How to Talk to Your Dog, by Jean Craighead George and illustrated by Sue Truesdell, a good read that also has some really useful information, and is one of the best non-fiction puppy picture books I’ve seen. Go enjoy some puppy books with your favorite puppy lover!

You’ll Be Sorry by author/illustrator Josh Schneider is a cute tale about why you’ll be sorry if you do something naughty to your little brother or sister. Let’s be honest, parents, how often have you said “You’ll be sorry if you …”? But why exactly will the child be sorry? My parents always said that I’d be sorry because my brother would grow up to be bigger than me. I was four years older, so that wasn’t an immediate incentive.

Josh Schneider has taken the frequent parent quote and turned it into a cute children’s story that has a moral without overdoing it. On the first page, Schneider writes:

“Don’t hit your brother, or you’ll be sorry,” said samantha’s parents. But Samantha liked to hit her brother, and did not think she’d be sorry. She thought she would be very sorry not to hit him

With this as the introduction to the story, all three of my girls (4, 7, 9) were hooked. Who hasn’t thought that? Maybe only children, or people who never get angry. Schneider hooks us with honest feelings…

And then he takes it to a whole other level of silliness and fun! Samantha, predictibly, doesn’t listen to her parents. Thankfully, the hitting happens off-screen, Schneider illustrates it only with an empty room and her brother’s “Waaaaaaah”. I was waiting for the parental response in You’ll Be Sorry, but what actually happened surprised me – Samantha’s brother begins to cry and won’t stop. He cries and cries, water pouring from his eyes as the family first needs galoshes, and then a rowboat, and as the house floods, her brother is still crying buckets of water. This is when the crying really starts to affect Samantha – she has to leave her room and her soccer game is canceled.

Schneider illustrates You’ll Be Sorry with a long-nosed white mouse family that has very human facial expressions, including the sly look on Samantha’s face right before she hits her brother. Schneider also has many pages that don’t include Samantha’s family, but propel the story: fish swimming in the tears, a waterfall on the stairs, seahorses near the soccer goal, and the flooded homes. The pages are all filled with the green-colored water, with red boots, clothes, or fish as accents. The end result is illustrations that focus on the story rather than detract attention from the storyline.

Of course, by the end of You’ll Be Sorry, Samantha is sorry she hit her brother, and she might just be sorry enough not to repeat her behavior. Will it make an impact on your young miscreants sweethearts? Perhaps. One can hope. Even if it doesn’t make any impact on squabbling siblings, it’s a fun story with sweet illustrations that kids will enjoy and a moral that will help the parents read it for the 426th time!

All of us here at A Gaggle of Book Reviews recommend picking up a copy of You’ll Be Sorry!

This book was received from the publisher for review

The Duck Who Played the Kazoo is the newest children’s picture book by Amy E. Sklansky, illustrated by Tiphanie Beeke. Amy’s catchy poetry combined with the beautiful watercolors by Tiphanie make a book that is appealing to children and also fun for the designated reader. It isn’t always easy to find picture books that enchant children which adults will enjoy as well, but Amy and Tiphanie have created such a book in The Duck Who Played the Kazoo.

The poetry in The Duck Who Played the Kazoo has a meter and rhyme that is fun to read; the poems also include zu zu, words that manage to evoke the sound of a kazoo! When we first meet Duck, he is alone in a quiet lake:

There once was a duck
who loved the kazoo
He played:

La ditty, da ditty
zu zu.

While the white duck loves his peaceful lake, he becomes lonely, and packs up to find some other ducks. He lands near a river, and watches a group of brown ducks play in the water. My daughters (9, 7, 4) thought that it would be difficult for Duck to find new friends at the river, but after he plays his kazoo, they are quick to welcome him:

“Hooray!” they all shouted
when his tune was through
“Would you like to swim
with our fine feathered crew?”
“You bet,
Let’s get wet!”
Zu zu.

The pages become brighter and more colorful as The Duck Who Played the Kazoo enjoys being with his friends. The repeating zu zu in the poetry is both reassuring and fun, a sign that the duck is content and the story is continuing.

The evocative words and the gorgeous watercolors bring Duck’s story to life. My daughters all gave the story a thumbs up, and we needed to read it several times. Unlike many rhyming books for children, The Duck Who Played the Kazoo continued to be enchanting even after the 5th reading in two days! We highly recommend The Duck Who Played the Kazoo; it’s a great mix of language play, accessible poetry, and a fun storyline for kids and adults. My only complaint was listening to the effusive kazoo playing by my daughters in the days after we read the book!

Once you’ve had a taste of the poetry in The Duck Who Played the Kazoo, you’ll want to check out Amy’s other books, and more books with Tiphanie Beek’s illustrations.

This book was received from the publisher for review

Priscilla and the Pink Planet is the first book in the Priscilla series by siblings Nathaniel and Jocelyn Hobbie. Priscilla lives on a planet that is completely pink – from the sky to the grass. While she likes pink, she gets fed up with the lack of other colors, so she goes in search of any other color. After much exploring she finds a beautiful multi-colored butterfly, and follows it. As Priscilla watches, the butterfly is caught by the Queen, who keeps all the animals who aren’t pink underground. Priscilla needs to find a creative way to convince the Queen to allow other colors above ground.

The rhyming text written by Nathaniel Hobbie in Priscilla and the Pink Planet is fun and light, but uses a wide range of words, not talking down to the audience. Priscilla comes across as a brave and creative character, and you definitely want to read the rest of the Priscilla series! Jocelyn Hobbie’s illustrations show an incredible range of shades within the color pink – each part of the planet is different. The illustrations remind me a bit of Dr. Seuss, but with a unique touch. Priscilla and the Pink Planet is a great read for anyone who likes pink, or just likes a good story about an adventurous girl!

Purplicious is a story by sisters Victoria Kahn and Elizabeth Kahn that is actually more about the color pink than purple. Pinkalicious is a girl who loves the color pink. However, the other girls in her school have decided that “pink is passé”, and that “All the girls like black now”. At first, Pinkalicious is self-confident, but as the week goes on and none of her friends will play with her because of her favorite color, she becomes very sad, and starts to question herself. Over the weekend, her mother suggests that there might be other girls who like the color pink, but that’s not enough to get Pinkalicious out of her blues. When she returns to school on Monday, she discovers that pink has power.

Sisters Victoria and Elizabeth Kahn have written a wonderful story in Purplicious that really touches on how girls can behave in the 6-9 age range. Pinkalicious even writes in her journal about “mean girls”, and the teasing in the schoolyard rings true. The conversations between the characters feels real, though sad at times. The illustrations by Victoria Kahn show wonderful variations of the color pink, and the the emotions really pop out at you through the images. Purplicious is a great story for lovers of pink and for kids who have been dealing with teasing.

Our family (with a few devotees of the color pink) really enjoyed both Purplicious and Priscilla and the Pink Planet – enough that the girls had them on their wish list after checking them out from the library several times.  We also liked the independent nature of both Priscilla and Pinkalicious – a wonderful trait.  They were thrilled to get them as presents recently, and we’ve been reading them a lot!

This book review is part of a PBN blog tour, and was received from the publisher

I remember the personalized books that some of my friends had when I was younger. They had all the type in a plain text, and then the child’s name was in bold, and a bit out of sync with the other text. The people in the books never quite matched my friends, either – the hair/eye/skin color would be different, and the pronouns never completely matched up.

I had read other Parent Bloggers’ positive reviews of the new personalized books for children, but I quite honestly didn’t quite believe them. The Print-a-Kid website says they have text designed for preschoolers, and some for grade-schoolers, but I figured I was best off getting a preschool version one for LG (4), as she would like it no matter what – her older sisters are a bit fussier about books.

LG’s book arrived very quickly after placing the order, which was a pleasant surprise. I had chosen the Wacky Christmas Journey, and I was very impressed at how well-made and well-designed it is. I also belatedly realized that I should have bought two more in the grade-school version, as BG (9) and MG (7) were both very disappointed that they are only side characters in the story.

The book says it is “A Book for [LG]” on the cover, and has a dedication (”To our Gaggle of Girls, Love Mommy and Daddy”) that are personalized before you even get to the story. I skipped those the first time to make it a surprise, and it took a moment of reading before LG realized the book was about her – and then her grin spread across her face. The story is personalized for LG’s blonde hair and blue eyes, uses pronouns correctly, and uses our family members’ names throughout the story. Having your name in any story is enchanting (even if it has nothing to do with you!), but having a story that is clearly about you and your family means that your parents can’t read anything else at bedtime for weeks. *ahem* Thankfully, because her sisters’ names were in the story, everyone enjoyed having it read to them over and over and over… The storyline was fun, too, with a few unexpected twists – who knew that reindeer could pull you through an ornament and on to the North Pole?

The book itself is well made: a sturdy binding, good quality paper, text that flows nicely, and images that have your child’s eye, hair, and skin tone – and with girls the hair length, too. The side-characters are only visible in such a way that you can’t identify them. BG, MG, and I discussed this, and how much more difficult (and therefore more expensive) it would be to make all the characters have the right hair, eye, and skin color. Suddenly it made sense to them why you only see someone as they are carrying ornaments, or their back going up a ladder.

What was particularly endearing is that the lines given to my children actually fit their personalities! That was a wonderful surprise. While the storyline is not Caldecott Award material, it is infinitely better than the storylines of the personalized books when I was a child, and therefore exceeded my expectations. I’m going to have to buy the older versions for my other two daughters soon, and I’ll see how the story holds up for older kids. We are also very curious about some of the other personalized books, there’s a lot of interest in the space robots book and the princess’ kingdom book especially! My daughters and I spent quite a lot of time on the website researching which other books we could have chosen. Right now, they all look great – er, except that we homeschool, so the school book might not be the best fit for us!

The one thing that was disappointing for my daughters is that you couldn’t include your pets in the story. One of our pets has a human name (Jack), but it wouldn’t quite work to say he was their brother or friend… That’s really a minor complaint, but we suggest that if they add another story to their selection that they choose one that involves kids and their pets. The one other minor complaint is from the “Designated Reader” – now LG tries to say she is any blonde haired/blue-eyed girl in any other story, and it becomes frustrating by the 12th time per book…

We highly recommend the Print-a-Kid personalized children’s books, and think they would make a wonderful holiday, birthday, or “just because” gift. Some kids are lucky enough to have entire series of books with main characters who share their name, while other kids look in vain for characters that share their name. The Print-a-Kid books even the playing field and make all the kids feel special.

Beach is simply a book about a day on the beach by Elisha Cooper. The simple, yet lively illustrations bring the beach to life, even when you’re reading the book in your bedroom on a cold, wet day. The book starts with an empty beach at the beginning of the day, then shows people arriving in various ways. The day is explored with glimpses into different people’s eyes – the sisters build a sand sculpture, a girl covers a friend in the sand, and the seagulls watch everything. There are gorgeous collages of people in different positions and participating in different beachy activities while the lifeguard watches over everyone. The day continues in this vein – sort glimpses into a great variety of what happens at the beach. The beach empties out as the day turns to dusk – less than half a dozen people on the beach as the book ends. This is a sweet book that is a quick read for the adults, but there are so many little pictures for the kids to pore over in bed or on the couch after the story is read.

The Serpent Came to Gloucester is a book based on a true story, by M. T. Anderson, illustrated by Bagram Ibatouilline. On a hot day in August, 1817, the people of Gloucester, Massachusetts saw a sea serpent off their shore. At first, they were scared of the monster, but then they went out in their boats to watch the sea serpent frolic. The book tells the story of the townspeople and the serpent in a wonderful rhyming poem, with a haunting refrain “As it swam in the sea, in the lovely sea. As it swam in that ancient, old sea”. As the waters cool, the sea serpent leaves, and in the next summer hunters come with harpoons, and when the sea serpent returns people try to catch him. There is a scary bit where you think he might be caught (as a warning for kids who are anxious), but it turns out OK. The book leaves you wondering what really came to Gloucester that summer, and whether it will ever return. This book was greatly enjoyed by my 6 and 8 year olds (the 3 year old not so much), but there was one scary bit. The paintings are amazingly gorgeous, and the whole feel of the book is old (as if it were from the 1800s), which fascinated all of us. We recommend this for the older readers in your group.

Now for the Pirate Books!

Pirate Bob is a fun yet honest book about pirates by Kathryn Lasky, illustrated by David Clark. This book shows some of the less attractive parts of piracy – the swords, the friends who are only nice to you because they want your treasure, the greed, and the stealing. Most childrens books on pirates focus only on the fun, lightweight stuff. This book is still a fun read-aloud, but it isn’t filled with illusions Pirate Bob’s nose itches, it means gold is near, and when his nose aches, it is reminding him of when his nose was cut by a cutlass. Pirate Bob and his friends & colleagues on the Pirate ship are searching for their dreams of gold as they search for ships to loot. But they are all waiting until they can bury a treasure and leave piracy, because then they think they will be happy. The story is told in such a way that is still an interesting, fun read that kept all three kids (3, 6, 8 ) interested. And as their mom, I was happy to read a book that didn’t make piracy sound like a good occupation

By Geezers and Galoshes! is a completely different pirate and boating book by Lena Arro, illustrated by Catarina Kruusval. In this story, a little boy named Bubble goes to visit his great uncles who live on an island for a week, but the great uncles have no idea how to entertain a little boy for that long. They build a model Bubble has brought with him, and then follow the direction that says, “for full size, please place model in water”. When they awake, the boat has grown into a full size pirate boat! They load it up, and set off for adventure, just the three of them – with Bubble as the captain. They “steal” treasure from sunbathers and other folks so they will have some “pirate booty”. They turn around and go home when the food runs out, and then dry off the boat so it will be saved for another visit. This book is a brightly colored, silly, and fun book which takes a completely different tack on piracy than Pirate Bob. This book was an absolute favorite, which enthralled all three kids (3, 6, 8 ) and several adults who read aloud to them.

We recommend and enjoyed all 4 books, but think that younger kids will be more interested in the first and last books. The middle books are a little darker in tone, and appeal to a slightly older audience (I’d say 6 and up). Happy reading! We hope you get to do some reading near the water, or that you let the books carry you away to the ocean in your imagination.

When we find a sweet little book, we tend to read it several times (or nightly for several months), as it doesn’t “count” in the 3 books-per-bedtime rule if it is short. These are some great books to have laying around when someone small wants a book read, and you only have a few minutes.
A few board books we’ve really liked lately, which have even amused the older children:

Your Personal Penguin, by Sandra Boynton. OK, I have to admit that we are suckers for all the Sandra Boynton books, and the part where this one comes with the URL to download a song? Who could pass it up? We have worn out copies of Barnyard Dance! and a myriad of other Sandra Boynton stories, and this book follows in their footsteps. Your Personal Penguin is a sweet book about a penguin wanting to be friends with a hippo, with adorable Boynton illustrations and sweet rhymes. It’s a simple, quick story that is completely suitable for a baby/toddler, and the Boynton rhymes seem to enthrall the older kiddos here in addition to the younger intended audience.

The sheep books by Nancy Shaw are all short, sweet, and sheepy. Our particular favorite is Sheep in a Shop. In this rhyming story, the sheep go to a shop to buy a present. Some minor chaos ensues, but they set things straight and decide what to purchase. “They dump their bank. Pennies clank. There’s not enough to buy this stuff.” Whatever will the sheep do? “What can they swap to pay the shop?” Of course, the sheep are shorn and pay the bill, then walk off in the spring sunshine to have the birthday picnic for their friend. The rhymes, cute illustrations, and gentle theme make this a book that is fun to read, and the older siblings or friends are fine listening to it as well. Sheep in a Shop can also be a great early-reader book, with the older brother/sister reading to the younger one, as the rhymes and pictures help the new reader know what happens next.

Good Night, Gorilla, by Peggy Rathmann is another sturdy, brightly colored board book. This is one of those classic toddler/preschooler books that everyone should own. It has very few words (so it is also great to hand to kids so they will have a book to “read” as they lay in bed), and follows the story of a gorilla who swipes the keys from the zookeeper’s belt and unlocks each animal from their enclosure. The animals follow the zookeeper back to his home, and (here’s the best part!) when his wife says goodnight, ALL the animals chime in with their goodnights. This is a sweet, simple book that you can add your own story to as well as see what your kids will pick up on – the colored keys? the stuffed animals? how would the animals fit in the house?

What do you do When a Monster says Boo? is slightly longer, but still much shorter than most picture books. What do you do When a Monster says Boo? is written by Hope Vestergaard, illustrated by Maggie Smith. This is a sweet book about a “monster” little sister, who pesters her older brother. Any boy or girl with a brother or sister will like this, as it acknowledges the frustrated feelings of the older sibling, while showing the perspective of the younger sibling. We loved the brightly-colored illustrations and the fun rhymes, as well as the question-answer scheme of the book. Here’s an example that resonated in our house:

What do you do when a monster pulls hair?
Show it your teeth and pretend that you’ll bite?
Forget all your manners and start a big fight?
No, no, NO!
The best thing to do when
a monster pulls hair
Is find its soft tummy
and tickle it there.

This was a fun, short book to read, and the words are set off in blocks away from the illustrations. The movement of the words on the page is another part of the book that was appealing to the reading parent, just as the ideas of the naughty things you could do to the “monster” were really appealing to the kids!

I have a soft spot in my heart for puns, and this book had me giggling. Porcupining: A Prickly Love Story, by Lisa Wheeler, illustrated by Janie Bynam. This is the story of a porcupine who is lonely in the petting zoo, as he isn’t allowed to be petted. Cushion goes out in search of a wife, and approaches different creatures, singing “I’ve been so lonesome all my life … I’m porcupining for a wife …”, and eventually finds a perfect match. This is a good book to read alongside a deeper or scarier book, as it is purely sweet and punny. A very gentle book, but not so gentle that it is insipid – it is engaging and fun while being gentle.

Our library is participating in a Community Read focusing on books from Haiti. They chose a book for adults, a book for young adults, and several books for kids. We read Circles Of Hope, by Karen Lynn Williams, illustrated by Linda Saport. This book about replanting trees in Haiti is heartwarming, sweet, and wonderful. The story is about a little boy who has the only mango tree on the mountain. He has a new baby sister, but she becomes sick and the parents and sister need to leave the mountain to go to a doctor. While his parents are gone, the little boy wants to grow a mango tree as a present for his sister. He tries various ways suggested by others to protect the tree, without success. Then he figures out the best way, and has a beautiful tree waiting for his sister. The author says this is based on the tree replanting going on throughout Haiti.

Both of these books entertained all 3 of the Gaggle of Girls, ages 3, 6, and 8. We highly recommend them! We’ve also read other books by aren Lynn Williams, and suggest you check those out, too.

Earlier this week, we read Keeper Of Soles, by Teresa Bateman, illustrations by Yayo. This is a witty and sweet book about a very special cobbler, and what happens when Death comes to visit. The cobbler’s response to Death is to start making him shoes (with soles, of course). I know there are other books in which the character tries to avoid death because they are too busy doing worthwhile deeds (see below for another), but this one is incredibly colorful and uplifting. It is a unique and surprisingly lovely book. The play between “soul” and “sole” is well appreciated, as is the view of Death as a character, rather than something that happens.

Another book that has Death as a character is Grandy Thaxter’s Helper, by Douglas Rees, illustrated by S.D. Schindler. This book is set in an older time (think Colonial time period), and Grandy Thaxter takes care of her own grandchildren and some of the other children in town. “Mr. Death” comes to carry off Grandy, but as with the cobbler in the previous story, she has too much work. Grandy, however, asks Death to help her. What follows is a great description of all the work women performed – making soap, cleaning house, cooking meals, etc. Grandy exhausts Death. Another surprisingly sweet and engaging book.

Both books kept all 3 of the Gaggle of Girls (3, 6, 8 ) entertained. We’d give both of these 5 stars, and have added them to our list of books to purchase.

First, a classic. Is there anyone out there who doesn’t love Chicka Chicka Boom Boom by Bill Martin Jr. and John Archambault, illustrated by Lois Ehlert? This is a well loved story that has amused children and adults since 1989 – the storyline and illustrations are so vivid and enthusiastic, I think it will be loved for many more years. If you haven’t had a chance to read this one, the lowercase letters climb up the coconut tree – “chicka chicka boom boom, will there be enough room?” The coconut tree becomes too heavy with all 26 letters up there, and they fall down, getting hurt and tangled as their (uppercase letter) parents come to help them. “Next from the pileup skinned-knee D and stubbed-toe E and patched-up F. Then comes G all out of breath.” Of course, at the end of the story, “A is out of bed” daring the other letters to go back up the coconut tree! The rhythm of the writing and the bright colors make a perennial favorite.

A different twist on the ABC book is B Is for Bulldozer: A Construction ABC by June Sobel, illustrated by Melissa Iwai. The story greets you “Do you see the Asphalt for paving the road, or the big shiny Bulldozer pushing a load?” The story continues with the construction of something as children watch on the sides of the illustrations, waiting to see what is built – “The welders won’t Quit till the metal is bent, and the new safety Rails are placed in cement.” Finally, “Now Visitors enter – it’s opening day!” You have watched the construction crew build “Wonderland” – a new amusement park, all while having letters stand out from the words, yet telling a story. My kids (3, 6, 8 ) and I were all just as excited as the children in the book to see the go “Z oom!!!” down the newly built rollercoaster!

We were so amused to see the title of AlphaOops!: The Day Z Went First, by Alethea Kontis, illustrated by Bob Kolar. The book begins with the traditional “A is for app-”, but Z is tired of being last, so he insists on going first. Things become more chaotic when P, N, and M complain that they are always stuck in the middle, even if they start with Z. So the letters just jump with what words they are associated with, as the little character at the bottom of the page fills in the ABC chart so you know which letters have spoken. The little “discussions” between the letters are hilarious. This was a really funny read, and we all laughed quite a bit.

Our favorite ABC book, though is now SuperHero ABC by Bob McLeod. We all love superheroes here, and in this book there is a superhero for each letter! It is illustrated like a comic book, with fun asides about each superhero. We love everyone, from: “Astro-man is Always Alert for An Alien Attack” to “The Firefly Fights Felons in the Forest” and “Jumping Jack Just Jails Jaywalkers”. Each letter is also shown at the corner of the page in capitol and lower case, so there is the alphabet reinforcement, but the book is also just fun on its own. As a warning, there are some rather icky superheroes: emetophobes should really avoid the letter V.

Overall, these are four really fun ABC books that are fun stories rather than the traditional “A is for Apple, B is for balloon” type books. These books were fun for all three kids (3, 6, 8 ) and several readers. They were also fun for the kids to look through on their own, enjoying the images.