A Busy Creature's Day Eating by Mo Willems (review)

In this raucous take on the alphabet, a little purple Busy Creature is, right from the time of waking up, focused on eating: "Apples! Berries! Cereal! Doughnuts! Eggs!" You get the picture, but Busy isn't satisfied and moves fearlessly on to "Furniture!" and "Lunch Box!" Even kids with big appetites will wonder about Busy's tolerance, and sure enough, O is for a pained "Ooooohhh …" followed by a run for "Potty!" A grownup finally appears and treats the queasy little critter with "Rice" and "Tea," but prematurely; V is, as savvy adults might predict, for "Vomit." Fortunately, water and cuddles ("xo-xo-xo") are consoling, and a "Zonked" Busy Creature collapses into bed. Set aside your question about where the adult was during the consumption phase and appreciate this refreshingly freewheeling take on the alphabet book genre; it's a genuine abcedary, with bright, contrasting capitals of the featured letters at the head of every image, but with a gross appeal that is rare for younger audiences. Digital art features crisp demarcation of figures and lots of dimensional shadow effects for a floating cartoony flair; the scenes are neatly framed against subdued background shades, with layout variations creating effective pacing (the run for "Potty!" bursts into a full-bleed spread). This is perfect for kids who will appreciate an alphabet with some guts, both full and empty. DS