ALPHABOAT

This bit of alphabetical legerdemain, juggling the particles of speech and letters topsy-turvy, is to alphabet books what a diacritical mark is to vowels. Rhythmic poetry, wordplay, and above all bald-faced puns will delight all ages of students of language, but young children should be familiar with the alphabet before sailing away. Chesworth (Little Granny Quarterback, 2001, etc.) must have had great fun conceiving this and U R invited along for the ride, text and pictures all one great adventure, with lots of funny asides and skewed usage. In fact, for this tour, one should be literate but not literal. To pay homage to the plot, the letters of the alphabet build a boat to go find a treasure buried on an I-land by long-lost Mister E. Can you guess the treasure? Hint: it has every precious word you can think of. The adventure is not over until the Alphaboat returns through a storm of cursive script and a rounding of Exclamation Point (Nspired devices, to B sure). CDB fans and everyone who can appreciate the written word will appreciate the author’s humor and erudition, anyone who appreciates language will laugh out loud. (Picture book. 5-10)