About the Author

MICK INKPEN's books starring Kipper have sold millions of copies worldwide and have been translated into more than twenty languages. His more recent titles include Kipper's A to Z, a Publishers Weekly Best Book of the Year and an ABA's Pick of the Lists, and Kipper and Roly. Mr. Inkpen lives in Suffolk, England.

MICK INKPEN's books starring Kipper have sold millions of copies worldwide and have been translated into more than twenty languages. His more recent titles include Kipper's A to Z, a Publishers Weekly Best Book of the Year and an ABA's Pick of the Lists, and Kipper and Roly. Mr. Inkpen lives in Suffolk, England.

Reviews

"A big, playful, alphabet story that is just the ticket for turning pre-readers into new readers . . . Just about the cutest puppy in a favorite series achieves a stellar new success."--Kirkus Reviews (starred review) "An appealing concept book with childlike humor, this will be wonderful for small-group or one-on-one sharing."--School Library Journal (starred review) "Adorable, breezy, clever, this is the alphabet book of choice."--Publishers Weekly (starred review)
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Creepy crawly critters and recurring jokes feature in this sprightly ABC tale. In a teaser, ahead of the title page, the eponymous pooch tells a zebra, "We won't need you till much, much later." Inkpen thus signals his plans to eschew a formulaic abecedarian approach and introduces the letters in inventive ways, giving his volume a rollicking spontaneity and a story line. In some cases, the author subtly slips the spotlighted letter into the narrative, which follows Kipper and his pig pal, Arnold, as they encounter bugs, animals and other objects, most of which Arnold places in a box (e.g., "He opened his box and put the interesting insect inside"). Other whimsical touches include the reemergence of creatures introduced on previous pages; inventive use of type (as on the spread introducing h, when the text forms an arc shaped around a hill); the intermittent appearance of the earnest zebra, who wants to know if it's his turn yet (to which Kipper replies, "No, not now!... You don't begin with N"); and one quite waggish omission: "Kipper couldn't think of anything beginning with K. Can you think of anything?" Yet likely the strongest selling point here is Inkpen's signature charming, childlike art, which offers endearing images of these expressive young animal characters at every turn. Adorable, breezy, clever, this is the alphabet book of choice. Ages 3-7. (Mar.) Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information.

"A big, playful, alphabet story that is just the ticket for turning pre-readers into new readers . . . Just about the cutest puppy in a favorite series achieves a stellar new success."--Kirkus Reviews (starred review) "An appealing concept book with childlike humor, this will be wonderful for small-group or one-on-one sharing."--School Library Journal (starred review) "Adorable, breezy, clever, this is the alphabet book of choice."--Publishers Weekly (starred review)
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