Paul Lewis is the president of the Poe Studies Association and an English professor at Boston College where he teaches courses on American literature, gothic fiction, and nonfiction writing. He brought a career-long interest in dark humor to the writing of A Is for Asteroids, Z Is for Zombies: A Bedtime Book about the Coming Apocalypse (2017), Cracking Up: American Humor in a Time of Conflict (2006), and articles on gallows humor, political humor, and humor and terrorism. The neologist who coined the word “Frankenfood,” Lewis has also published op-ed, feature, and humor pieces in leading newspapers.
You can already tell it's going to be cute from the cover alone, but even better than I hoped - simple and to the point rhymes by the alphabet covering all sorts of scenarios where things can go wrong - fast.
The rhymes and perils of dooms are joined with illustrated, graphic details of these horrors awaiting mankind - everything from aliens to zombies to viruses. We even get Trump who is going to paint our heads orange!
There's a small round avatar of the father in black n white as he reads the children's story along with his son - everything from horror to anger to confusion graces his face when he flips the pages. There's a funny final page showing what happens to the father when he tries to reassure his kid.
There's chuckles, there's color, there's humor, there's ... warning, kind of. Well, not really, this is a spoof on some things we already know and fear. Mankind - are we doomed??
If I had a complaint, it would be that it's a little short. I guess that's the trend for these quick kid goodnight stories though...*sniff, sniff*
Giving an honest review after receiving from Netgalley
Seriously, I don't think this book should be under children's book, because some readers categorized it as a picture book for kids when it is not. The gruesome representation of the apocalypse and other catastrophic events is not suitable for young kids; it will terribly scare them instead. It is meant for adults but kids in middle grade could be able to comprehend what are written in here.
Not intended to read at night because it will either make your child scared or it is you, who reads it, might be terrified out of your wits. However, with good explanation, this is a good material to use for young kids to interpret what is currently happening to our world; such as famine, war, climate change, and terrorism to name a few.
This is not a children's book. {Shudder} If it doesn't give you nightmares and worries, you must be more jaded than I. This delightfully illustrated (in a horrifying fashion, reminiscent of the late, much-lamented, Charles Addams) compendium of eschatological woes is presented as a rhyming bedtime book read by a devoted father to his frightened son, who has been told about asteroid impact. By the time the father finishes, he and the reader are spine-chilled. Who knew the end of the world is possible in so many variants?
Now, this is my kind of book! I expect that the level of childlike joy I experienced while reading A is for Asteroids, Z is for Zombies and examining the gory illustrations shows just how much of a sick, sick puppy I am.
I inherited my warped sense of humour from my beloved Nan (the coolest person I've ever met) who, despite her adoration of cats and adoption of too many to count throughout her life, owned a well worn copy of 101 Uses for a Dead Cat by Simon Bond. This was one of my favourite books growing up. I would page through it every time I visited Nan and ended up buying my own copy as an adult. The humour in this book reminds me of Simon Bond's.
My Nan would have loved A is for Asteroids, Z is for Zombies just as much as I do. Taking on some serious contenders for our impending doom, then adding verse that rhymes and lulls you into a false sense of security with the feel of a children's bedtime story, Paul Lewis has done a fantastic job with this book.
The illustrations, mostly black and white with the appropriate splashes of red, bring the words to life (or should that be death...). Kenneth Kit Lamug has captured the tale perfectly with simple yet detailed, devastating yet hilarious, scenes of destruction. I loved watching the father's expression change throughout his reading of Aunt Dorcas' thoughtful gift for Tim, her nephew.
I expect this book could be polarising but if you aren't my kind of person I doubt you'd pick it up in the first place. For those who do pick it up, you're in for a treat that I'm certain you'll be compelled to read more than once.
I received an ARC from NetGalley (thank you so much to NetGalley and Andrews McMeel Publishing for the opportunity) in exchange for honest feedback. This has just become one of my favourite reads of the year.
The illustrations are perfect, the A-Z is one of the best I've read and I definitely need a physical copy of this now!!
*Huge thanks to Paul Lewis, Kenneth Kit Lamug, Andrews McMeel Publishing and NetGalley for this copy which I chose to read and all opinions are my own*
I received a free copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
If you've read The Gashlycrumb Tinies then you will definitely like this book, although I'm honestly not sure if I would read either of them to actual children. But I guess most of us in my generation grew up reading that messed up book where the lady's head was actually held on with her choker necklace and we all turned out ...more or less okay. This is definitely a very fun and topical ABC book of different ways the world could end. While some are more classic, like asteroids and zombies, many are more topical, like G is for global warming and even T is for Trump. Definitely a 'fun' read [if you like your humor dark] and has great illustrations too.
Just because this is a colourful, 40 page ABC picture book do not automatically assume that it is suitable for young kids. In fact it would make a fab gift for anyone who likes slightly dark humour, is interested in climate change and all things apocalyptic, or someone who just loves zombies.
Humorous and often terrifying, this book could also be slightly controversial to some people. Basically it is a cautionary tale about what could happen if we don't start looking after this planet a bit better. But then if the zombies get us first what does it matter....?
Instead of a good night story, a kid asks his dad about asteroids destroying the planet. Dad remembers a book a crazy relative gave them and checks it out before reading it aloud, a thoroughly smart move. Though it masquerades as a children’s book, don’t you fall for it either. The looks the dad gives as he reads are priceless. Then, thoroughly scared, he hides in the most ironic place. This author could teach a class on rhyming, especially with how badly it’s done in today’s music. Every letter gets a stanza, except Z, because zombies are so bad they need seven. You need a particular brand of humor to enjoy this; I sure did.
Brilliant! Wow what a book! A dark abecedaire (don't know what is the English word for it). Not sure who is the public target by it because it's look like an album for kid, but it's really dark with gore illustrations and all, but for the adult and even older kids (maybe around 10-12 years old) it's perfect. There is also a social critic in the book which I like a lot. Really an original, trash, creepy, freaky book who is not afraid to try and experiment! A little masterpiece out here!
Four and a half stars for a very droll picture book, with child-friendly verse portraying how the whole world is going to hell in a handcart, and in a multitude of ways. Proof, if proof were needed, that there's no better comedy than black, and that there needs to be more apocalypse in bedtime reading!
As others have said, this is definitely not a kids book. One thing it is: hilarious. I loved the picture of the father's face in the bottom left as he read the story and the myriad of doomsday scenarios it contains. I would recommend it to anyone with a few minutes of free time and a dark sense of humor.
Thanks to netgalley and the publisher for a free copy in exchange for an honest review.
I am going to give this book a rating massively due on the formatting that I found on Freading. And until I can get my hands on a physical copy or an even better yet a really well-done digital copy than I will not change my rating until then.
The reason why I am choosing to do this is since of the fact that when reading from the named website the reader doesn't get a copy of a cover of the book. Instead it starts off with what I am guessing is a dedication and then goes into the story.
The reader can tell that there is something missing since the writing is given in poetry format. With the two longest poems at the beginning and the end the rest are rather quite short while in a field of white. As such I chose to check on Amazon to see if there were any pictures while I did find that around the poems were suppose to be illustrations that weren't showing in the Freading version.
As such all I can say right now about this book is that the poems were creative but not the best. They did provide different means for the end of the world as has been discussed by very different theorists but since of the brevity there was truly no large information given for each theory, which also leads me to think the illustrations may have contributed even more to the actual telling.
All in all it was a decent introduction to the darker theme of our possible upcoming universal demise given in a creepy style for children whose parents or guardians don't mind them reading it.
'A Is for Asteroids, Z Is for Zombies: A Bedtime Book about the Coming Apocalypse' by Paul Lewis with illustrations by Ken Lamug is the kind of bedtime book to read if you don't really want to sleep.
One night at bed, Timmy has questions about the end of the world. Tim's father remembers a book that Tim received for Halloween that they had hidden because it was too grim. What follows is an ABC book with all the various ways the world can end. From global warming to killer robots to asteroids and zombies, the book is told in gleeful rhyme with beautifully terrifying illustrations. We get an inset of Tim's horrified face as he reads the book to his son.
This is really not a kids book unless you have a kid that won't have nightmares based on this book. The situations are told tongue in cheek, but they are truly scary. The illustrations are fabulous, and the rhymes actually have the right meter! This is a gift book for an older child who likes all things apocalypse.
I received a review copy of this ebook from Andrews McMeel Publishing and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you for allowing me to review this ebook.
Weirdest crappy book for kids that I've read. I love it! Want all of the hope sucked out of the kid? Yeehaw this one is for you. Just kidding, it is very gory and dramatic, yes, but not as much as the brain sucking and slurping TV or Youtube. Enjoy it kiddies.
This is definitely not a book for kids. It's pretty morbid and will probably be too much for little kids to handle. It highlights some real and some not so real fears with well drawn illustrations and cute poems. I enjoyed reading this one.
This book had me in stitches! I loved every minute of the alphabetical hypothetical doomsday scenarios presented in verse! The illustrations are priceless and I highly highly recommend this book! Just maybe... don't let your very little ones see this if they are already prone to nightmares. I would say that perhaps a fourth grader could enjoy this for a fun bedtime story or even for more serious discussions about some of the issues presented that are, well, more plausible than others! Thanks to NetGalley for an advance reader's copy.
I thought this book would be something new and different. Well, it is. It brings up many things that we should pay attention to and be worried about. There are also a few ideas that are stretching it a bit, but that's okay too. It's a story about real things that could happen, but also some that probably won't.
I had planned to let my kids read this. I thought they would like the subject matter and find it interesting and even funny. However, I changed my mind because of one page. I feel the page that took it a bit too far was the one that took a political turn. I don't think this should have been added to this book. Others may have a different opinion. The actual subject matter, nuclear war/bombs, is a real threat that could happen one day. I just feel it should have been presented in a different way. If you read this book, you will know exactly what I'm talking about. There was no need to include the person that was on that page. This could have been a great book to explain to kids the threats that are out there, but to put that kind of opinion in the book did not seem appropriate. The author and illustrator are going to alienate a large audience of people that do not agree with them.
The other pages were great, and the father's face in the lower corner of each page was pretty funny. However, the book pretty much turned me off when it turned political. This is unfortunate because I usually enjoy things like books and movies with zombie themes.
I really wanted to love this book. I would have gladly given this book a 5 star review if that one page hadn't been presented in the way that it was.
I received a copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for my honest review.
Paul Lewis has provided a decent bedtime story that may or may not induce nightmares in children to whom it is read. It would all depend upon the kid. If they like Edward Lear, they are likely to enjoy this book. The illustrations do make this book. Especially the look on the father's face as he keeps reading the book. It does have a nice ending, child asleep and Daddy under the bed!
Definitely not a kids book even though it might look like one. I enjoyed the images of the father reading the story in the bottom left corner. I noticed my expressions similar to his at times. The rhyme and illustrations are quite good, even if the story over all is a tad gloomy. I actually enjoyed the book though some of the items I do not agree with, I took it all in fun. I am glad I had the opportunity to read this book, but I do not know that it would be one I would buy. I might so that I could share it with friends to see their reactions. It is one of those books, you really do not need to read more than once, but you still can have fun sharing and talking about it with friends. Have a look and enjoy it for the humor itis meant to be.
Are you a fan of dark humor? What about zombies? Are you the type of person who reads everything they can about the Apocalypse?
What about your kids? What do you tell them when they come home from school with questions about the future of our world?
Well, if you are anything like author Paul Lewis, you create a faux-children's book of ABC's that allows you to list all the ways our civilization might end.
The next step is to find an illustrator that can bring your vision to life. That is where KENNETH KIT LAMUG comes in.
Between the twisted imaginings of Paul Lewis and the equally, if not more so twisted drawings of Kenneth Kit Lamug, what you end up with is an uproariously funny book that is sure to become an instant Bestseller. I for one will be purchasing several hardcover copies for myself and my friends.
The fact that each page of the book is told in sing-song rhyming prose adds to the overall unreal quality of this hilarious book.
If I had the skills to write a book of this kind, this would be exactly how I would want it to turn out.
What I want to say most, is that I recommend this book as highly as possible. If you do not add it to your must-buy list, then you will be missing out. In fact, I forsee many awards and accolades in this book's future. Let's just hope that Paul Lewis receives his rewards before one of his predicted apocalyptic scenarios comes to pass.
5 out of 5 Stars for this highly imaginative, highly entertaining, and uproariously funny book. 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟
*I would like to say a special Thank You to Netgalley for providing me with a free copy of this book.
This is a fun and playful picture book with a touch of dark humor.
The illustrations and enjoyable and laugh-inducing rhyme scheme make this a breeze-y read that I can see adults having as much fun reading as their children -- if not more!
Not sure it's really a children's book but I loved it! I will be recommending t be added to the library collection for student's assignments on alphabet books!
This album is a pur marvel. I found it very poetic. The story: a little boy asks « why ». His father decides to help him with an album that was offered. This album shows us the different ways we can die. We pass from the asteroid to the melting of the ice by a revolt to end up the zombies. The words in four lines are very poetic in their horror. All that I love. The designs are just beautiful, both funny, ironic and tragic. It is interesting to have the reactions of the father every time at the bottom of the page sometimes facing the horror of the situation, sometimes just a disgust to the drawings. I really appreciated the constant presence of the little dog. On almost every board you see a small dog (that of the little boy). You can see it eat a dinosaur bone. I just regret the fact that he is not on all the boards. For example, he could have been on the asteroid. But that did not spoil my reading at all. This is the fourth time I've reread it. I think I would re-read it often. I really love it. Thank you for this beautiful moment
I received this e-book in exchange for an honest review from Netgalley and the Publishers.
A is for Asteroids Z is for Zombies is a "kids" book that is wonderfully morbid and all true. It is a tale of everything that we fear could end the world. Including things from past, very present and near future this book is a fun read that will give you a laugh. The illustrations are incredible with tinges of red in all of them , makes this doomsday book more fun. I recommend this "children's" book if your kids are okay with horror or are at that age where they love it. This is the perfect picture book for kids that ask a million questions! 5/5 stars.
I received this book from Net Galley in exchange for an honest review.
Where was this book when I was a child? This book is a catalog of horrors. They say it's not really for for kids but I assure you, if your child would be happy in the care of Miss Peregrine or Eleanor West, they will love it savagely. I know I would have!
NB- Heads up for those out there not counted among the side winning popular vote for 2016, the entry for "T" may make you pretty mad.
I have to OWN this book! This is not your typical picture books. This one is for adults. There are some like me who might give it to kids of a certain age, but I am sure I am among the few. It’s an adult picture book in the vein of “Go the F**k to Sleep”. The rhymes are perfect, the illustrations creepy match. I see this being given to quite a few of my family members for Christmas.
A Is for Asteroids, Z Is for Zombies: A Bedtime Book about the Coming Apocalypse Author: Paul Lewis (Author), Kenneth Kit Lamug (Author) Publisher: Andrews McMeel Publishing Publishing Date: (October 10, 2017) Pgs: 40 Dewey: 818.602 L675a Disposition: Irving Public Library - South Campus - Irving, TX _________________________________________________ REVIEW MAY CONTAIN SPOILERS
Summary: A, B, Cs of the Apocalypse from a father to a son. A darkly comedic vision of the end of everything. Global dangers. Fear. Macabre. Gory. Doom. Gallows humor. _________________________________________________ Genre: Satire Parody Comic Strips ABCs Apocalypse
Why this book: Intriguing. _________________________________________________ Realized as I reading this that my usual review format wasn’t where I needed to go. And so…
A is for AAAHHHH. B is for not bedtime stories. C is for the civilization that survives. D is for the dark dreams of a dying Earth. E is for an Earth wheezing a last breath. F is for freaky. G is for gore. H is for Haunting and so much more. I is for I can’t believe this could be mistaken for a kid’s book. J is for jumping out of their little skins. K is for knowledge that some of these things are possible. L is for a long life surviving the apocalypse. M is for the monsters that humans dream up. N is for no way on reading this to your young ones unless you want them sleeping with you and going to tons of therapy. O is for OMG. P is for what the dad in the story is doing on himself by story’s end. Q is for reading this in a house that’s too quiet. R is for reading, it’s still fundamental. S is for the starkness of a world dying. T is for not believing that Trump got into the text. U is for the ugliness that sprawls in these pages, the possible apocalypse is the ugliest of all. W is for weirdness and not what I was expecting. X is for the extra little tingle when you consider the future. Y is for youth and their surviving dark tomorrows. Z is for zombies who when placed in context with everything else trying to kill us aren’t that frightening at all. _________________________________________________