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Kipper the Dog
Kipper's A to Z (Kipper
A is for ant and Arnold. I is for the interesting insect that Arnold finds and Z is for the hopeful Zebra who wants to be part of the book! This is an alphabet book that features Mick Inkpen's famous character Kipper.
64 pages, Paperback
First published October 1, 2000
5 people are currently reading
146 people want to read
About the author
Mick Inkpen
381 books61 followersMick Inkpen is one of the most popular author/illustrators in the world. His books have sold over 4 million copies, and have been translated into over twenty different languages. His best-loved characters are probably Kipper and Wibbly Pig – who are both stars of their very own TV series!
He began his career as a graphic designer, and worked with another children’s author Nick Butterworth (of Percy the Park Keeper fame) on a cartoon strip for the Sunday Express. In 1989 The Blue Balloon was published to great acclaim, and established him as an important and original voice in children’s picture books. He and his wife, Debbie, also had children of their own by this point: “Without the experience of having children of my own I doubt that I would have been capable of writing effectively for children. And yet it’s true that good work really springs from trying to please yourself”
Mick lives in Essex with his wife and two children.
He began his career as a graphic designer, declining a place to study English at Cambridge University. During this period he worked with Nick Butterworth, a fellow children’s author, from whom he learned design and typography. Together they developed a cartoon strip for the Sunday Express magazine, later to become a first series of children’s picture books. They also worked in children’s television.
In 1989 The Blue Balloon established him as a truly original voice in children’s picture books, by which time Mick and his wife Debbie had two children of their own. “Without the experience of having children of my own I doubt that I would have been capable of writing effectively for children. And yet it’s true that good work really springs from trying to please yourself”
He began his career as a graphic designer, and worked with another children’s author Nick Butterworth (of Percy the Park Keeper fame) on a cartoon strip for the Sunday Express. In 1989 The Blue Balloon was published to great acclaim, and established him as an important and original voice in children’s picture books. He and his wife, Debbie, also had children of their own by this point: “Without the experience of having children of my own I doubt that I would have been capable of writing effectively for children. And yet it’s true that good work really springs from trying to please yourself”
Mick lives in Essex with his wife and two children.
He began his career as a graphic designer, declining a place to study English at Cambridge University. During this period he worked with Nick Butterworth, a fellow children’s author, from whom he learned design and typography. Together they developed a cartoon strip for the Sunday Express magazine, later to become a first series of children’s picture books. They also worked in children’s television.
In 1989 The Blue Balloon established him as a truly original voice in children’s picture books, by which time Mick and his wife Debbie had two children of their own. “Without the experience of having children of my own I doubt that I would have been capable of writing effectively for children. And yet it’s true that good work really springs from trying to please yourself”
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 54 reviews
April 20, 2025
Great story. Big pay off at the end.
October 27, 2009
Of all the alphabet books out there, this one is the best. My 2-year-old loved it. The characters were charming, the illustrations simple and attractive, the prose were catchy and fun, and all-in-all I didn't mind reading this book 100 times. And while my daughter already knew most of her letters, this book really solidified the capital letters, taught her the lowercase letters and conceptually she understood that letters make sounds and that those sounds put together make words. Great little book. :)
August 2, 2021
One of my daughters favourite books - has been read multiple times.
October 28, 2010
I think this is a perfect ABC book to use in the preschool group--as I want there to be a bit more in the story as well as getting the kids to recognize the sounds. Very cute and with some little instances of humor that might not always be caught. It might seem a little long, so I'm considering pausing in the middle of the book to do a song and then continuing.
10/5/10 & 10/7/10 This went very well, even with its length. I did a wiggle song in the middle and the kids were perfectly fine with that. Being in the lobby for the storytimes didn't affect how well the book went. Maybe that's because I love doing our alphabet with the children, and I love Kipper, too.
10/12/10 This went well with both Outreach Preschool groups at the school. They know their letters well, so the added ASL element was nice for them, and they got excited by the story.
10/19/10 & 10/21/10 This went well with both preschool groups. I opted not to use it with the special needs group. Maybe a shorter ABC book with ASL elements would work for them. I would like to try that. But this one's length made me wary to try it.
10/5/10 & 10/7/10 This went very well, even with its length. I did a wiggle song in the middle and the kids were perfectly fine with that. Being in the lobby for the storytimes didn't affect how well the book went. Maybe that's because I love doing our alphabet with the children, and I love Kipper, too.
10/12/10 This went well with both Outreach Preschool groups at the school. They know their letters well, so the added ASL element was nice for them, and they got excited by the story.
10/19/10 & 10/21/10 This went well with both preschool groups. I opted not to use it with the special needs group. Maybe a shorter ABC book with ASL elements would work for them. I would like to try that. But this one's length made me wary to try it.
June 6, 2010
In Kipper's A to Z, Kipper and his friend Arnold have an adventure that covers the letters A to Z. Each letter is represented by an element that is introduced into the story, such as Z for Zebra. The author uses simple illustrations with light shading to create depth, which results in some charming illustrations. The letters A to Z are always presented in large font with both capital and lowercase letters. This makes the book a great resource for teaching children about the alphabet while being entertaining at the same time. Humor is injected throughout the book through the zebra character, who is constantly asking if it is his turn yet to enter the story. The story occasionally calls for interaction from the reader, like when it asks the audience what K could stand for (the answer is, of course Kipper himself)
Recommended for- Preschool
(This review was written for a class)
Recommended for- Preschool
(This review was written for a class)
March 1, 2018
Kipper's A to Z: An Alphabet Adventure by Mick Inkpen. From A to Z, young readers will love this engaging and fun story about Kipper and his friend Arnold, who go exploring to find things that begin with the letters of the alphabet. Along the way Arnold collects little friends and puts them in his box to play with, while their friend Zebra restlessly waits to join the story. The large sized font used throughout the book makes it easy for little fingers to trace the letters of the alphabet as they are reading, and the font emphasis placed on each alphabetical letter addressed by each page, helps readers make a connection between the letter and its spelling. I love that the author included, on each page, words that begin with each of the letters of the alphabet as well. This book is great to help reinforce letters and their sounds.
Target Audience: Preschool-3rd, Beginning readers
Target Audience: Preschool-3rd, Beginning readers
April 12, 2014
Inkpen, Mick. Kipper's A to Z: An Alphabet Adventure (2000). Kipper a dog and Arnold a pig are friends that begin to work through the alphabet to collect animals, insects, or things. Kipper and Arnold try to use a box to place their animals, but with no success. The font is large and larger for the specified letter and name of said animal or insect. The alphabet is presented in a narrative poetic style by using alliteration by using adjectives and verbs for each named animal to emphasize the beginning letter and sound, so repetition is used. This is a great alphabet book for beginning and emergent readers because of the familiar animal pictures. Pre-K-1.
April 1, 2008
Kipper and his friend Arnold are on an adventure to find things that start with each letter of the alphabet. They find that "I" is for interesting insect inside their box. This insect may be xuyglybuy, because they don't have a xylophone for the "X" page. An impatient zebra shows of frequently but has to wait for his turn at the end. Cited in Through the Eyes of a Child.
Recommended for grades Preschool - Kindergarten
Recommended for grades Preschool - Kindergarten
October 10, 2011
This book was so cute! Both the story and the pictures were done very well. I loved how with the letter k, the author left room for the children to think up their own words that began with the letter. I also liked how with the letter n, the author mentioned that the word "gnat" did not begin with the letter n. I also liked how the book followed a running theme of insects and how the zebra was mentioned throughout the book.
May 20, 2020
Family read time.
February 24, 2021
Adorable! The sort of book my 5-or-6-year-old self would have adored to no end.
March 24, 2013
Kipper’s A to Z is a book by Mick Inkpen. The book is an amazing book for children in reception going into year two. The narrative of the story is about a dog named Kipper who takes his friend Arnold through the Alphabet. Kipper goes through the alphabet naming the letter and giving an example of something which begins with the letter, for example ‘A is for ant...B is for box and buzzzzz’, this goes all the way to the letter Z. While going through the alphabet Kipper names many animals, objects, and doing words such as ‘on’ and ‘off’. I think this is a great book which gives children an insight into many different animals; this can be linked in with the subject of science. The book also has many pictures, this will help the children identify what the animals look like, it can lead on to a discussion, whereby the teacher can ask the children to describe what the animals look like in the book, this will help the children with their speaking skills. The book uses a lot of colourful pictures, alliteration (‘enormous elephant’), and onomatopoeia, these techniques help the child stay engaged.
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February 15, 2014Tag: Alphabet Book Class 2
Inkpen, Mick. Kipper’s A to Z: An Alphabet Adventure (2000). Kipper, a cute brown dog, and a pig, Arnold take an adventure through all letters of the alphabet. Kipper and Arnold name each letter of the alphabet and gives examples of each. Each letter from A to Z is written with both capital and lowercase letters as well as in large print so it stands out to the reader. The illustrations are simple, yet colorful providing images to help associate animals and items with the letters. The author uses the literary elements, alliteration and onomatopoeia which helps to keep the reader engaged throughout the story. Ages 2-6
Inkpen, Mick. Kipper’s A to Z: An Alphabet Adventure (2000). Kipper, a cute brown dog, and a pig, Arnold take an adventure through all letters of the alphabet. Kipper and Arnold name each letter of the alphabet and gives examples of each. Each letter from A to Z is written with both capital and lowercase letters as well as in large print so it stands out to the reader. The illustrations are simple, yet colorful providing images to help associate animals and items with the letters. The author uses the literary elements, alliteration and onomatopoeia which helps to keep the reader engaged throughout the story. Ages 2-6
May 19, 2016
What a brilliant little alphabet book! Some of the alphabet books tend to force the issue, e.g. unable to find something for q or k or x, they make something like "x-ray fish" and you wonder if your child will even know what that is! Mick Inkpen completely circumvents that and Admits (!) that writing something with an x is not funny. In addition, he creates continuation by having zebra checking in every now and again ... in typical are-we-there-yet?-style
April 11, 2015
There’s a cleanness to both the illustrations and text. A refreshing ordinariness that’s not at all trite. Just the same way there’s a cleanness to the way little kids talk, act and think. For example, sometimes collecting bugs is all there needs to happen in a day to make it a good one. The humor is the same – it rings true to toddler sensibilities. And since little kids can be a riot, it’s enjoyable for all ages, too.
July 23, 2012
Kipper and his friend Arnold embark an a journey through the alphabet, with assistance from an ant, lots of ladybirds, squidgy slugs, wriggly worms, - and one persistent zebra, who can't wait for his turn! Gently appealing illustrations and a playful use of text mean that this is a real story as well as an approachable introduction to the alphabet.
February 21, 2008
The boys and I read a book every night they're here. This is a favorite.
The boys LOVE Kipper the Dog. And I do too. The Kipper videos we have are gentle, playful, and imaginative. This book is the same with some silly humor thrown in.
The boys LOVE Kipper the Dog. And I do too. The Kipper videos we have are gentle, playful, and imaginative. This book is the same with some silly humor thrown in.
April 14, 2012
Kipper and Arnold are seeking items (mostly in nature) that start with different letters of the alphabet. Zebra pops up here and there asking if it is his turn yet. Some humor and a bit of a story accompany most of the letters although, some letters are simply represented.
Ages 3-5.
Ages 3-5.
May 24, 2012
I'm not nuts about the alphabet book genre, but this one is very clever and is actually fun to read out loud. Kipper and Arnold make a little alphabetical bug zoo, the zebra keeps wondering when his turn will come....
December 29, 2015
"Kipper's A to Z: An Alphabet Adventure" by Mick Inkpen, is a sweet little alphabet book featuring Kipper and Arnold (Pig's younger charge... his little brother? Cousin? Random kid he babysits?) as they have a fun day and play and explore. The illustrations are calm and cute.
March 4, 2017
My kid is OBSESSED with Kipper right now. It's so cute. But this alphabet book is actually REALLY GOOD! Kipper's adorable of course, and this book is really cleverly written. We read it 3 times yesterday and I didn't get annoyed.
October 23, 2007
Gotta love Kipper.
July 9, 2008
Cute alphabet book.
June 7, 2009
Cute Alphabet book with cleverly picked creatures and funny narrative. Our girls really like Kipper.
October 6, 2010
An excellent take on the ubiquitous alphabet book. Highly recommended!
November 28, 2011
I really love this book. It's like an educational alphabet with a kind of story. Whimsical and fun, and a little weird, which is typical Kipper.
May 9, 2012
Darling picture book that introduces ABCs to young children in an endearing way.
September 22, 2013
Pre-K/K
October 2, 2013
read to my 3 year old
January 24, 2015
Kipper's A to Z: An Alphabet Adventure
by Mick InkPen
a cute emergent reader book series related to the pbs show that helps kids recognize words and topics related to school, home and outside.
by Mick InkPen
a cute emergent reader book series related to the pbs show that helps kids recognize words and topics related to school, home and outside.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 54 reviews