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Alphaboat
An alphabet adventure
One day i chanced to stop for t
and listen to sweet Mellow D,
in her old H beside the sea,
sing of her long-lost Mister E.
She said he'd hid a treasure chest
out on an I-land to the west.
Just where it's buried she knew not.
But X would surely mark the spot.
Come join the letter men of the Alphaboat as they cross the high seas on a treasure-hunting trip! All twenty-six characters are here, from uppercase officers Captain C and Admiral T to lowercase crewmen silent e and sleepy z.
Packed with visual and verbal puns, this jaunty picture book salutes nautical yarns of yore as it takes readers where no alphabet book has sailed before.
A Junior Library Guild Selection
One day i chanced to stop for t
and listen to sweet Mellow D,
in her old H beside the sea,
sing of her long-lost Mister E.
She said he'd hid a treasure chest
out on an I-land to the west.
Just where it's buried she knew not.
But X would surely mark the spot.
Come join the letter men of the Alphaboat as they cross the high seas on a treasure-hunting trip! All twenty-six characters are here, from uppercase officers Captain C and Admiral T to lowercase crewmen silent e and sleepy z.
Packed with visual and verbal puns, this jaunty picture book salutes nautical yarns of yore as it takes readers where no alphabet book has sailed before.
A Junior Library Guild Selection
32 pages, Hardcover
First published September 23, 2002
25 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 18 of 18 reviews
June 5, 2012
The silly puns were entertaining but would go over the heads of little kids. The story was so-so and the resolution anticlimactic. The illustrations were average.
My biggest problem with it is that only one letter is female, a widow. The husband is long lost and the woman pines and sings of him. She says he left a treasure though she doesn't know where. So all of the rest of the letters go find and retrieve it for her. No stereotypes there. Even though lowercase i built the ship, all the officers are uppercase because of course everyone also has to know his place.
So we have a woman used only as a plot device and blatant classism. You're fit to lead by nature of who you were created to be rather than who you've become. It's birthright which just irks me.
My biggest problem with it is that only one letter is female, a widow. The husband is long lost and the woman pines and sings of him. She says he left a treasure though she doesn't know where. So all of the rest of the letters go find and retrieve it for her. No stereotypes there. Even though lowercase i built the ship, all the officers are uppercase because of course everyone also has to know his place.
So we have a woman used only as a plot device and blatant classism. You're fit to lead by nature of who you were created to be rather than who you've become. It's birthright which just irks me.
October 9, 2011
I didn't really understand this book at all to be honest. And as an adult if I am confused by a book, I would obviously assume my kids would be too. It used the letters as full words like 't' for tea, and etc. Also, the letters were the characters which was kinda odd. I thought this book was too abstract of a way for introducing letters. The book also used puns, and a lot of language terms. It was a complex idea written and added with childrens illustrations.
September 23, 2014
Alphabet
The book is creative but not necessarily grammatically correct. I don't think I would read it to my students, because I don't want them to think using one letter is an appropriate substitute for the whole word.
The book is creative but not necessarily grammatically correct. I don't think I would read it to my students, because I don't want them to think using one letter is an appropriate substitute for the whole word.
December 17, 2018
If you love good puns, and of course the only good pun is a bad pun, then you will love this letter-based C voyage tale.
July 24, 2023
Wordplay abounds in this alphabet book.
July 8, 2008
My five year old niece loves this book, even though she doesn't get most of the jokes (and doesn't even realize that they *are* jokes, in fact).
This is a book chock-full of what are, frankly, horrific puns. The storyline is about how the alphabet travels to find treasure, but it's definitely not an abecedarian. It will not teach your child his or her letters. It's just silly fun.
Do note that it's a longer book (as picture books go), and that many of the jokes will sail right over the head of younger readers ("We sure spent our times roamin'" springs to mind).
As a book for older kids or adults, though, it's completely indispensible. (I read it a lot to myself as the kids nap!)
This is a book chock-full of what are, frankly, horrific puns. The storyline is about how the alphabet travels to find treasure, but it's definitely not an abecedarian. It will not teach your child his or her letters. It's just silly fun.
Do note that it's a longer book (as picture books go), and that many of the jokes will sail right over the head of younger readers ("We sure spent our times roamin'" springs to mind).
As a book for older kids or adults, though, it's completely indispensible. (I read it a lot to myself as the kids nap!)
August 23, 2011
This isn't an alphabet book for children who are learning the alphabet. This is chock full of puns about the alphabet, letters, fonts, and punctuation - both in the text and the pictures. It's fun, but not a book that is a nice, smooth, easy read. It's very clever - maybe even a bit too clever. I think this is a book some children would absolutely love and others would not like at all.
There are levels to the story. It could be enjoyed as just a fun alphabet adventure on the sea. But to get the full meaning of the book, you have to be the type of person who loves puns. I did enjoy it, but wouldn't recommend it for everyone.
There are levels to the story. It could be enjoyed as just a fun alphabet adventure on the sea. But to get the full meaning of the book, you have to be the type of person who loves puns. I did enjoy it, but wouldn't recommend it for everyone.
January 14, 2011
Love boats and alphabet books, but this one has an extra edge - it's full of puns! Great for teaching puns or about the English language - words, letters, characters, font, dictionary - has so many words to do with English in it. Easy to get caught up in the boat story and the puns. Great illustrations, too.
October 22, 2009
This a cute book that helps children who already know the alphabet, but it teaches new ways to look at the alphabet and literature. All the letters in the alphabet go on a ship voyage to find where 'X' marks the spot. The story is told through verses of poems and puns.
October 3, 2010
Love it. It is an alphabet book but the letters are the characters. They work together in different order and jobs to sail. Really fun since the letters are presented out of order. Better to hook older grades but still an alphabet book. Concept book
February 18, 2011
This is a clever book. I enjoyed it on many levels. I held back on a 5th star becasue I am not sure most kids would get it in quite the same way an adult does. But then again, there are some very sophisticated kids out there.
December 18, 2014
Cleverly incorporates knowing what letters look like into the story, so pre-literate child can help "read" the book by just knowing the letters by sight - "stopping for T" and "find out Y." What a great building block on the way for kiddos to learn to read!
January 19, 2010
This is a great alphabet book, although the jokes/idioms may go over the heads of most children. We read it without the sidebar conversations between the letters and it was lots of fun.
July 11, 2010
What a delight! A children's book about the letters and some punctuation too! The author had some fun with this!
August 12, 2011
Stinking punny book. Kids loved that it was an ABC book and kept Mommy entertained too with all of the hidden puns and double meanings.
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November 22, 2014This book includes every letter and at least one rule of writing in a witty way.
December 31, 2016
Loved it. So many font, word and letter puns.
April 30, 2009
A very unusual alphabet book.
Displaying 1 - 18 of 18 reviews