Max's ABC

May 1, 2006
PreS-Gr 1 -Another charmer from the author of "Goodnight Max" and "Max Cleans Up" (both Viking, 2000). -Max -s Ants escaped from their Ant farm. They went looking for bunny -s birthday cake. - Thus begins this clever alphabet book. The narrative continues as the ants bite the cake and are drenched in cranberry juice, which they subsequently drink and find delicious. -EEEeeeeek! - says his big sister. Young children can empathize with Max, whose bites itch -and with Ruby, who tries all sorts of things to relieve her brother -s discomfort. She even tries to vacuum up the ants. Nothing works, but the ants finally tire and fall fast asleep. The book -s large size and bold, bright illustrations lend it to use with a group or for one-on-one sharing." -Jacki Kellum, Linwood Free Public Library, NJ"

Copyright 2006 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

June 1, 2006
PreS-K. Alphabet books are hardly scarce, but you will still want to reserve a spot for this one, which stars Max and Ruby, perhaps the most famous bunny siblings since Peter, Flopsy, Mopsy, and Cotton-tail. Unlike many titles that use an abecedarian structure without much real educational intent, this book squarely targets children ready to learn their ABCs. Young readers will be drawn in by the cohesive, farcical story, built from episodes featuring successive letters of the alphabet--beginning with "Max's Ants escaped their Ant farm," and proceeding as capable Ruby oversees their retrieval. Learning will be bolstered by the book's excellent design, which features one letter per page in large, alphabet-block type alongside crisp images set against jellybean-bright backdrops. Constrained by the alphabet premise, the text occasionally feels forced ("Put on your Happy-face pants, Max . . . . The ants are History"), but Wells' plump, expressive duo radiate so much elan that occasional incongruities are easily forgiven.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2006, American Library Association.)