The Absolutely Awful Alphabet

by Mordicai Gerstein

The alphabet never looked this way before. These letters have drippy noses, scratchy hair, and green teeth. They belch and drool, and stick out their tongues. Zany art gives each letter a spectacular new personality, and the humorous, alliterative text is sure to stretch young readers’ vocabularies.

Genres: Picture Books, Monsters, Childrens

32 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1999

About the author

Mordicai Gerstein was an American artist, writer, and film director, best known for illustrating and writing children's books. He illustrated the comic mystery fiction series Something Queer is Going On.

Reviews

[Sheila · Rating 1 out of 5]

The illustrations in this book were too frightening for my sensitive 5 year old.

[Agilar Janeet · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Absolutely Awful Alphabet. Gerstein, Mordecai. New York: Harcourt, 1999. It is for 4-7 year old readers and the genre is alphabet picture book. The theme of the book is to show the alphabet letters in an ugly, nasty, and weird way with creative and spooky images. The purpose of the book is to introduce new words starting with the correspondent letter. Each letter has been placed individually in a single page being clear and simple to identify. Each of the letters has an average of three different rhyme words starting with the same letter. For example “ F a frightfully ferocious Fiend who favors flattening…” I find appealing the images of this book for a student of second grade to help enrich their vocabulary. It would be an appealing and interesting option for readers. I would use the book to encourage students to expand their vocabulary, first knowing the meaning of every word, then drawing an individual picture for each of them or whole pictures including all of them. I would also suggest them to make a sentence using the new letters and lastly I would organized a game with teams to practice the same vocabulary.

[Liz Todd · Rating 3 out of 5]

Ok.. cool monsters, fun illustrations (if not too scary for a little) and some great language.

But why make an ABC book that children cannot understand? I am happy to teach a new word here and there, but "a particularly putrid predator who plans to pulverize...a quivering, quizzical quacker who quarrels with...." etc. is just too much.

Fun for picture reading and playing ABC I Spy.

[Ryan · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a zany tongue twister. It’s an alphabet book, where every letter is a being with some peculiar personality traits that has its eye on the next letter. A very long run on sentence, but a big pile of fun nevertheless.

[Nadina · Rating 1 out of 5]

I was not a huge fan of this book and I felt some of the words chosen were a little advanced for an alphabet book, not something I would look at giving/reading to kids. I was not a fan on the illustrations either.

[Shane Moore · Rating 3 out of 5]

My son really liked this book a lot more than I did, but I found the illustrations amusing and really enjoyed explaining the big words to my son.

[Beverly · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good for building the vocabulary of young ones.

[James · Rating 4 out of 5]

Cleverly written. My one complaint is that the K words are all "KN" words, so you don't get the "K" sound.

[Annemarie · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a great book for teaching letter sounds. And my daughter loved the letter monsters.

[Connie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Many alphabet books are aggressively "real". They feel they have to be in order to illustrate what the letter stands for. That's cool.

This is different. The author decided to make each individual letter its own character. It's own VILE character, that is. (V is a vegetable vampire, obviously our favorite!) Each letter is in some way influenced by the one next in line... often picking on that one, but sometimes annoyed by it.

The illustrations are suitably "awful", full of teeth and glares (while still being recognizeably letters). And the vocabulary...! A far cry from apples and balls and cats, here the action is all in the adjectives (and sometimes verbs). We get arrogant, voracious, envious, grotesque, cantankerous... well! If this doesn't improve your child's vocabulary, I'll personally send you your money back! (No, no I won't.)

Every library needs this book. I think I'll even buy a few more copies for my niece to give to her pre-k class this year, or her kindergarten class next year!

[Lillian Collier · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is an alphabet book which uses alliteration and high level vocabulary. The illustrations and gross subject matter can bring attention and may be a good prompt practice phonemic awareness games, naming more words that begin with the sound, or a phonics lesson of interactive writing an alphabet book with a different theme, or a study of vocabulary words. The subject matter and vocabulary may make this a good resource for older students who need basic phonics skills.

[Taylor Shanda · Rating 5 out of 5]

The absolutely awful alphabet is a book that gives a description about the alphabet. It portrays them as goofy, friendly, monsters using alliteration with the corresponding letter to drive home the sounds and appearance of the letter. This one is great for parents who have young students learning the alphabet, or are beginning to read. Its simple with bold illustrations that make it very child friendly

[Karen · Rating 4 out of 5]

My five-year-old son picked this book out from the library this week. He loves alphabet books.

It took a few letters for my son to figure out the concept of this book, but when he did, he really liked it. He thought the monsters were funny and not at all scary.

Hmmm. Can Gashlycrumb Tinies be very far behind?

[Alicia · Rating 5 out of 5]

This one is a terrific read-aloud, especially if you are animated with it. I had a class of fourth graders absolutely breathless with anticipation for the next page as I read this to them last week. It's a great book for teaching alliteration, as well.

[Sarah Sammis · Rating 3 out of 5]

Checked out on the honor system. We've managed to find another book that's not entered into the library catalog.

It's due on 9/11

-- Another ABC book much in the same vein as the Z was Zapped and Alison's Zinnia.

[Randie D. Camp, M.S. · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is an excellent book to help expand the vocabulary of readers. Each letter of the alphabet is dedicated to a character that is described using careful alliteration and wants to do some awful thing to the next character. Fun concept.

[Jen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Not your typical alphabet book. but then you knew that picking this up. This book highlights words that start with these letters. Those words are not the typical, but long, many syllabled, fun words. Enjoy! Also, the Monster drawing were great.

[Kim · Rating 5 out of 5]

Even if your kids have known the alphabet for a decade, they will enjoy this book populated with gruesome and creative creatures in the shape of letters, each described with a wildly elaborate vocabulary.

[Stan · Rating 3 out of 5]

Alphabet books abound, it seems like almost every children's book illustrator and author has done one. Mordicai Gerstein's version fits comfortably in the lot. Use of alliteration to accentuate his artistic awfulness only adds to the fun.

[Heather · Rating 3 out of 5]

My kids really like it. It's fun to read.

[Rachel Feather · Rating 5 out of 5]

Letter formation, first letters

[Danica Midlil · Rating 3 out of 5]

Great vocabulary! Illustrations were kinda dull though.

[Paul · Rating 2 out of 5]

It's insidiously inventive with the alphabet, but the device wears out before the Z.

[The Brothers · Rating 4 out of 5]

An alphabet book features monsters in the shape of letters. And alliteration. A lot.

Great illustrations.