What About X? an Alphabet Adventure

December 15, 2020
Preschool-Kindergarten At the Alphabet Academy, where the students are personified letters dressed as children, the announcement of a camping trip leaves the class wildly excited, especially X, who has never gone camping. Wondering what to take on their excursion, the students begin searching for useful things beginning with their letters. B brings binoculars (for bird-watching) and C chooses canteens, while E packs "ear plugs, because someone snores" (yes, he's looking at you, Z). X runs to his treehouse to retrieve his xylophone, but it's broken. Feeling dejected, X hears his friends calling him from below. They need X himself to mark the camping spot on the map. Now he's sure that it will be "an exceptionally excellent trip." Bright, lively, and colorful, the digital illustrations capture the breezy tone of the text. While the basic plot is simple, Houppert creates plenty of fun along the way. As the high-energy characters make their decisions, even pre-readers may want to suggest their own additions to the trip. Fun for reading aloud.

COPYRIGHT(2020) Booklist, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

December 15, 2020
Time for a field trip with the alphabet. Welcome to the Alphabet Academy and meet its 26 rambunctious scholars. Today, teacher Question Mark is gathering the letters for a camping trip. Each has something special to bring except for the book's protagonist, X. As the individual letters make their choices--A brings apples; F brings fishing poles; S gets sunscreen; etc.--X watches and frets over what to bring along. Inspiration finally hits, but it turns out that X's perfect item isn't so perfect, only to be reassured by kind alphabet friends how important it is to any camping experience that involves maps. The book's strategy of introducing letters and corresponding vocabulary words isn't new, but the story treads this old ground with some style, with the illustrations presenting the occasional object or design that enhances each letter. B is patterned to look like bricks and sports a baseball cap, bling, and boots in addition to the binoculars mentioned in the text; P is covered in polka dots. These subtle hints go astray with other letters, however. Why does M have three eyes? Is it because M has one more? Why does R wear its green hair in a mohawk? Is that to imply rock-star status? Educators and caregivers may have to take a few minutes to explain some artistic choices to inquisitive and observant readers. (This book was reviewed digitally with 9-by-18-inch double-page spreads viewed at actual size.) Serviceable but not stellar. (Picture book. 4-6)

COPYRIGHT(2020) Kirkus Reviews, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

February 1, 2021

PreS-Gr 1-The letter X and all of his classmates at Alphabet Academy are going camping, but X cannot figure out what special item to bring in this energetic picture book. While all of X's friends are bringing items that start with the letter of their names-(A is bringing apples, B is bringing binoculars, and so on)- X's xylophone is unfortunately broken. What else starts with an X? Wiseman's brightly rendered digital illustrations on a white background are evocative of Keith Baker's LMNO Peas or Adam Rex's School's First Day of School, and will engage new readers with delightful letter-specific details. His classmates appears to be wearing accessories themed to their letters: A is wearing an astronaut helmet, while H is hairy, and C is dressed like a cowgirl. Some of these are more successful than others. Ultimately, X's friends assure him that "X marks the spot," and that all he needs to bring is himself, and the class is on their way! This is a fun and simple alphabet-centered, highly alliterative text. VERDICT Good-hearted and cheerful, this is not a first purchase, but larger collections will find space for one more entry in the ABC canon.-Kelsey Socha, Westfield Athenaeum, Westfield, MA

Copyright 2021 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.