Go ahead—try it! See if you can make it through Robert Pizzo’s Amazing Animal Alphabet without taking time to untie your tongue twice or thrice! Pizzo has assembled an assortment of sticky syllables into twenty-six tiny, tongue-twisting tales, one for every letter of the alphabet. Each stars one or more crazy critters, colorfully drawn in a captivating context. From the Abstract Artist Alligator to the Zeppole-Eating Zebra—the ABC’s have never been so fun!

“Get ready for The Amazing Animal Alphabet of Twenty-Six Tongue Twisters! You’ll need a professional tool set to get your tongue untied after trying out author (and illustrator) Robert Pizzo’s unique tongue twisters staring a cast of unforgettable animal actors!

Each tongue twister, one for every letter of the alphabet, features crazy critters cavorting around in a colorful scene. The ABCs have never been so captivating! After reading The Amazing Animal Alphabet to students, teachers can have their classes come up with their own tongue twisters and illustrations. Plus, what kid wouldn’t want to see their teacher stumbling over a bunch of sticky syllables? What fun! Whether you are meeting the Outlandish Octopus who Orchestrates an Oboe Orchestra of One, the Crabby Crab Cabbie who Cruises in a Cool Classic Checker Cab or the Fantastically Fearless Frog who Flaunts a Funny Fake-Fur Fez, you are bound to enjoy this book many times in your tongue-twisted future.”

- Kathryn Franklin

“Robert Pizzo’s The Amazing Animal Alphabet contains the same 26 letters as any English-language alphabet book, but in the grand tradition of Dr. Seuss’ outrageous-rhyme books – Pizzo mixes his unusual, angular graphic style with eerily emphatic extraordinary elucidations (sorry; this is contagious) of the letters. “Stinky Skunk in Smelly Sneakers Shows off on a Skateboard” (the “odor indicators” and a mouse’s reaction to the event are wonderful).

Try the book and see if you don’t find yourself getting into the ongoing alliteration – in fact, the whole thing makes a great game for the family, with young kids reading “Crabbie Crab Cabbie Cruises in a Cool Classic Checker Cab” while adults and older kids pick out and enjoy all the detail that Pizzo crams into the drawings. There is so much written and visual fun to be had in The Amazing Animal Alphabet that kids and adults alike will relish rereading Robert’s rousing rendition repeatedly.”

-Infodad.com

Lynn: Robert Pizzo has given me a lot of wonderful new terribly tricky teasers to twist our tongues in his book, The Amazing Animal Alphabet of Twenty-Six Tongue Twisters. Each letter of the alphabet gets a page featuring “one crazy critter colorfully captured in captivating context,” and, of course its own trickily tangled tongue twister. It’s as much fun to gladly gaze at the giddily glamorous gallery as it is to twist one’s tongue twice or thrice. EEKS! I’ve got to stop before I’m in a terminal tangle. I’ll just end by saying “the big brown bull blasts off a badly built bright blue bicycle” is my new favorite!

Cindy: Let me talk about the illustrations instead. The art has a sophisticated feel, with a color palette and graphic arts design that is rare in children’s books. Young children will enjoy looking at all of the details but there’s sly fun for the adults reading the book with them. Middle- or high-school art classes could use this as a springboard for design projects or their own book. The “Rowdy raunchy red rooster really rocks ’round the clock” page features a “Roosterbacker” brand electric-guitar-playing rooster, and the “Stinky skunk in smelly sneakers shows off on a skateboard” features a skunk riding a skateboard with a black and red skull design. Adults may recognize Robert Pizzo from his work designing Infographics.

Lynn stumbled across the Pomegranate publisher booth at ALA Midwinter and then dragged me back there to see their beautiful books. This one has me wanting more.

- Lynn Rutan & Cindy Dobrez ALA Booklist Reader

“Incredible Inventor Impala Imagines Ingeniously Inspired Ideas,” while “Mad Messy Monkeys Make too Much Macaroni on the Moon.” Indeed, weird and wacky words make mush out of your mouth. Slithering, circuitous sentences lay a large, loud laugh upon your lips. Peculiar, primary-­colored pictures promote priceless, silly smiles. Repetition reaches readers yearning for entertaining education in this rambunctious animal alphabet book. “Uh, oh! Umbrellabird Utterly Underestimates Unearthly UFOs.” Ages four to eight.

- Aimee Jodoin Forward Reviews