An Annoying ABC (review)

"It was a quiet morning until . . . Adelaide annoyed Bailey," begins this abecedary of acrimonious behavior in a preschool classroom. Bailey then "blamed Clyde," and the disgruntlement continues alphabetically from child to child until Zelda, who is trying to water a plant when Adelaide accidentally stands on the hose, "zaps" Adelaide (and also everyone else) with a blast of water: "Adelaide started it!" Miss Mabel, the teacher, encourages the tiger-costumed Adelaide to apologize, then "everyone apologized," and the children enjoy a "quiet afternoon . . . mostly." Although the font is a bit small for large group sharing, the initial letter of each child's name is highlighted with a colored square, a helpful touch for teachers and students using this as an alphabet teaching tool. The pithy text tells a coherent tale in itself, but it's Emberley's humorous and highly expressive pictures (rendered in pencil and watercolor) that give viewers the full story. Adelaide, for example, appears in the background of several pages as she chases down the class rodent that escaped when she scared the cage-cleaning Bailey, and big Grover (who "grabbed Horace" in a bear hug) is shown throughout the pages still happily holding onto poor Horace in various ways. Emberley presents a fairly diverse lot of children (including a girl in a wheelchair) and capably illustrates a huge range of facial expressions and emotions, many hilarious. Use this to spice up a preschool alphabet lesson or storytime, but make sure kids get to spend some time up close to truly savor all the piquant details.