What About X? An Alphabet Adventure

by Anne Marie Houppert, Daniel Wiseman (Illustrator)

Overview

From A to Z, the students of the Alphabet Academy are heading on a camping trip in this playful picture book, What About X?

All the letters of the alphabet know exactly what to pack for their big camping trip. B is bringing binoculars. C is collecting canteens. But X can’t think of a thing to bring!

In her picture book debut, author Anne Marie Houppert combines the excitement of a first field trip with the magic of collaboration and friendship. Illustrator Daniel Wiseman paints maximum personality into each character, underlining the idea that everyone is special and necessary—just like every letter of the alphabet!

“Houppert creates plenty of fun along the way. As the high-energy characters make their decisions, even pre-readers may want to suggest their own additions to the trip. Fun for reading aloud.” —Booklist

“Colorful letters with expressive faces, spindly arms and legs, and a few character-defining accessories add to the book’s playfulness, with lots of details throughout to pore over on repeat reads.” —Horn Book

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781419740787
Publisher:	Abrams Appleseed
Publication date:	02/02/2021
Pages:	40
Sales rank:	640,089
Product dimensions:	9.20(w) x 9.30(h) x 0.40(d)
Age Range:	3 - 5 Years

About the Author

Anne Marie Houppert is a senior librarian at the National Academies of Science, Engineering, and Medicine in Washington, DC. She has published articles in industry journals and authored a blog for National Geographic called NG Revisited. She lives in Rockville, Maryland.

Editorial Reviews

"Houppert creates plenty of fun along the way. As the high-energy characters make their decisions, even pre-readers may want to suggest their own additions to the trip. Fun for reading aloud."

Booklist

"Colorful letters with expressive faces, spindly arms and legs, and a few character-defining accessories add to the book’s playfulness, with lots of details throughout to pore over on repeat reads."

Horn Book Magazine

"Houppert creates plenty of fun along the way. As the high-energy characters make their decisions, even pre-readers may want to suggest their own additions to the trip. Fun for reading aloud."—Booklist

"Good-hearted and cheerful." —School Library Journal

"Colorful letters with expressive faces, spindly arms and legs, and a few character-defining accessories add to the book’s playfulness, with lots of details throughout to pore over on repeat reads." —Horn Book Magazine

"Treads this old ground with some style."—Kirkus Reviews

From the Publisher

02/01/2021

PreS-Gr 1—The letter X and all of his classmates at Alphabet Academy are going camping, but X cannot figure out what special item to bring in this energetic picture book. While all of X's friends are bringing items that start with the letter of their names—(A is bringing apples, B is bringing binoculars, and so on)— X's xylophone is unfortunately broken. What else starts with an X? Wiseman's brightly rendered digital illustrations on a white background are evocative of Keith Baker's LMNO Peas or Adam Rex's School's First Day of School, and will engage new readers with delightful letter-specific details. His classmates appears to be wearing accessories themed to their letters: A is wearing an astronaut helmet, while H is hairy, and C is dressed like a cowgirl. Some of these are more successful than others. Ultimately, X's friends assure him that "X marks the spot," and that all he needs to bring is himself, and the class is on their way! This is a fun and simple alphabet-centered, highly alliterative text. VERDICT Good-hearted and cheerful, this is not a first purchase, but larger collections will find space for one more entry in the ABC canon.—Kelsey Socha, Westfield Athenaeum, Westfield, MA

School Library Journal

2020-11-27
Time for a field trip with the alphabet.

Welcome to the Alphabet Academy and meet its 26 rambunctious scholars. Today, teacher Question Mark is gathering the letters for a camping trip. Each has something special to bring except for the book’s protagonist, X. As the individual letters make their choices—A brings apples; F brings fishing poles; S gets sunscreen; etc.—X watches and frets over what to bring along. Inspiration finally hits, but it turns out that X’s perfect item isn’t so perfect, only to be reassured by kind alphabet friends how important it is to any camping experience that involves maps. The book’s strategy of introducing letters and corresponding vocabulary words isn’t new, but the story treads this old ground with some style, with the illustrations presenting the occasional object or design that enhances each letter. B is patterned to look like bricks and sports a baseball cap, bling, and boots in addition to the binoculars mentioned in the text; P is covered in polka dots. These subtle hints go astray with other letters, however. Why does M have three eyes? Is it because M has one more? Why does R wear its green hair in a mohawk? Is that to imply rock-star status? Educators and caregivers may have to take a few minutes to explain some artistic choices to inquisitive and observant readers. (This book was reviewed digitally with 9-by-18-inch double-page spreads viewed at actual size.)

Serviceable but not stellar. (Picture book. 4-6)

Kirkus Reviews