CM Magazine: Accidental Alphabet

________________ CM . . . . Volume IX Number 8. . . . December 13, 2002

cover Accidental Alphabet.

Dianna Bonder.
North Vancouver, BC: Whitecap Books, 2002.
32 pp., cloth, $19.95.
ISBN 1-55285-394-2.
Subject Headings:
English language-Alphabet-Juvenile literature.
Accidents-Pictorial works-Juvenile literature.
Preschool-grade 3 / Ages 2-8.

Review by Helen Norrie.

**** /4

excerpt:

Ulf's underwear were ugly, uneven and unfit,
Undersized and full of holes, they'd pinch, and seams would split.
And though they were unsightly, Ulf wore them every day.
But when he took them off to wash, his undies ran away!

B.C. artist and rhymster Dianna Bonder has created an entertaining alphabet picture book with the Accidental Alphabet. Her pictures are detailed, colorful and humorous. She has also created a host of amusing characters: Auntie Augusta, Nelly Newt, Vula Voo, Yikkity Yak and others.

One of the tests of a good alphabet book is always in the treatment of the "difficult letters," X, Y and Z. Bonder scores well in this regard as evidenced by the following couplets:

X: Xavier Xay was excited one day
upon expecting his first x-ray.

Y: Yikkity Yak, with his yellow backpack, yearned for yellow yams
With Yorkshire pudding on the side, and yummy yucca jams.

Z: Zoe loved her zebra, zig-zag stripes and all
She got him from the zoo one day when he was one inch tall.

Occasionally Bonder's verses falter with an extra syllable, but this is not likely to bother preschoolers. Accidental Alphabet could be an amusing picture book to use for introducing or reinforcing the alphabet. The artist has added hidden letters in each picture (with answers in the back) to add to the book's appeal. She also has a list of questions at the end that could give young readers a follow-up activity. ("How many ants are wearing hats?" "What is the toad sprinkling on his tea?" etc.) While this alphabet book does not have the unusual brilliance of Alphabeasts, the award-winning ABC book by Wallace Edwards, it may well have more appeal for the average reader.

Dianna Bonder lives in Maple Ridge, BC, with her husband, two dogs and three cats. Her previous picture book, A Pacific Alphabet, is reputed to have been a best-seller on the West Coast. She toured Ontario as part of Canadian Children's Book Week in November 2002.

Highly Recommended.

Helen Norrie has a monthly "Children's Books" column in the Winnipeg Free Press. She has also taught Children's Literature at the University of Manitoba.

To comment on this title or this review, send mail to cm@umanitoba.ca.

Published by
The Manitoba Library Association
ISSN 1201-9364

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