The Alphabet from A to Y with Bonus Letter Z!
by Steve Martin; illustrated by Roz Chast
Flying Dolphin Press
Reviewed by Kelly Herold
I'm of two minds reviewing this. On the one hand, does the world really need another alphabet book? (I have one child who refused to be read yet another alphabet book from age two on.) On the other hand, how can a creative, wacky alphabet book be a bad thing? On the one hand: I hate the whole celebrity book industry. On the other hand, Steve Martin is a smart celebrity who can write (see: Shopgirl) and Roz Chast is a genius (see: The New Yorker). On the one hand, it's nice to see a book for children that adults will enjoy. Over to you, other hand: aren't we all just a little sick of coy books written to two audiences?
It's difficult to review a picture book when your mind is so obviously boggled, but I'll do my best.
One hand:
Steve Martin's couplets are funny and scan beautifully. No stray syllables here! His "letter" choices are unusual, giving xylophone, x-ray, and zebra a sorely needed break. Take the letter X as a successful example of Martin's technique:
Ambidextrous Alex was actually axed
For waxing, then faxing, his boss's new slacks.
These lines have a nice crunchy feel to them and are truly new. Chast's iconic illustrations add to Martin's lines. They're busy and full of supplementary detail (the X page, for example, does indeed contain xylophones in the illustration), giving the child plenty to look at and consider.
Chast has added a truly brilliant touch to her illustrations, posters and notes that deal with English's infuriating orthography. On the X page, for example, a poster gracing the side of a desk reads, "Links, minks, facts, and links sound like they have X's, But that idea STINKS!"
Other hand:
Some of Martin's vocabulary choices tend to the overly knowing. Do you really want to explain the letter G to a three year old?: "While Granny in Greenland had gravlax for three,/Her gallant son Gary grew green gracefully." Really? Or, how about O?: "Old Ollie the owl owed Owen an oboe/But instead bought him oysters at Osgood's in Soho." Shorthand? O is for annOying.
Also on this other hand...I wonder about Chast's illustrations and their appeal to the average alphabet-book audience. Do small children really appreciate her anxious style?
In bringing my two minds together, I find I have to give this book two ratings. One for adults (3 buds) and one for children (2 buds). Considering that celebrity books are really written with adults in mind, The Alphabet from A to Y with Bonus Letter Z! is a marketing success just in time for the holidays.
I thought the book was just weird.
Posted by: brettdl | November 15, 2007 at 06:30 AM
Yes, I agree, Brett, this is a weird book. But I DO like Martin's language, I have to admit.
Posted by: Kelly | November 15, 2007 at 07:21 AM
As a 12-year-old, I thought Steve Martin's weirdness was brilliant. Either I've aged or he hasn't.
Posted by: Anne | November 15, 2007 at 07:33 AM
I read a little of this at Barnes & Noble last night, and I think it's really for adults. NYer subscribers will give the book to their grandkids, and guffaw over while they're reading it. To me it seems pretty funny, faxing slacks and all.
Posted by: Susan T. | November 15, 2007 at 09:40 AM
Personally, I think Steve Martin is a legitimate writer, not a celebrity. But when I heard about this my first thought was the same as yours. Does the world need an other alphabet book?
Posted by: Gail Gauthier | November 15, 2007 at 04:39 PM
I haven't seen the book yet, but I love the review, because it *sounds* as if it would be my reaction. Exactly. Roz Chast *is* a genius, and Martin *can* write. But, I have the same schizophrenic reactions to the "type."
And, I really do think Chast's angst is too angsty for children. I picture my youngest walking away from the book looking like a Chast character.
Posted by: Karen Edmisten | November 16, 2007 at 07:39 AM
Yes, it's a problem, isn't it, Gail? I really think Dr. Seuss did this one best. I just can't imagine topping "Big A little a/What begins with A? Aunt Annie's Alligator/A...A...A."
Karen: That's SO funny! I can imagine my oldest looking like a Chast character and I'm afraid she would have been truly frightened as a small child by the illustrations. (BTW: Your comment reminds me I need to put you on the PF schedule....NOW.)
Posted by: kelly | November 16, 2007 at 07:49 AM
I'm looking forward to seeing this book. A couple of thoughts. Isn't it true that the picture book by its very nature will often be written to two audiences--the adult who reads aloud and the child who listens? And isn't the alphabet form a literary form in its own right--often addressed to those who already know their alphabets very very well?
Think Ashley Bryan's ABC of African American Poetry or that sign language alphabet that came out a few years back, or Betsy Bowen's wonderful "Antler Bear Canoe"--these aren't books for learning the ABCs. Maybe asking if the world needs another alphabet book is asking if the world needs another sonnet. Yes--if it does something special with that form.
Posted by: Susan | November 16, 2007 at 04:04 PM