ALA Booklist

From junk jungle to neon night Grover's alliterative alphabet is illustrated with acrylic paintings in zany new-wave style. The magic realism makes you laugh as the pictures give form to what you hadn't realized you imagined. There are octopus overalls with multiple legs dancing on the wash line. Or there's vegetable volcano spewing out carrots and corn at a skyscraper city. The urban scenes pulse with rhythm: hotel hop shows a pair of high-tops dancing through the streets of downtown. There's the same zany juxtaposition in bathtub boat chugging down the river to cupcake canyon with almost-cacti sticking up between the knives and forks lining the canyon sides. Forks also transform the picket fences of a solid suburban subdivision. The play with everyday language, sound, and images will stimulate readers of all ages to create their own wildly logical variations of the familiar. (Reviewed Nov. 1, 1993)

Horn Book

Bold, brash, and bouncy, this unexpected twist on the standard choices for alphabetic sequences links unlikely objects together. 'Apple autos' scoot along city streets; a 'Bathtub boat' bears its serene passenger through a tree-dotted landscape; and the 'Vegetable volcano' supplies a number of edible objects. Executed with panache, Grover's vision will undoubtedly stimulate young imaginations.

Kirkus Reviews

Grover's first is An Unexpected Alphabet,'' with pairings (Fork fence''; Vegetable volcano'') that occasion amusing surreal paintings in crayon-bright colors. The skillfully designed art is decorative and sometimes witty, O la New Yorker covers (e.g., a row ofOctopus overalls'' hung out to dry in a stylized suburban neighborhood), while such conceits as an Elephant elevator'' or anIce-cream island'' have child appeal; others (Dog dance'';Neon night'') seem less imaginative. Attractive, if not essential. (Picture book. 4-8)"

Publishers Weekly (Fri Oct 06 00:00:00 CDT 2023)

PW noted that this """"funny, loopy variation of a standard"""" offers such skewed examples as """"octopus overalls"""" and a """"macaroni merry-go-round."""" Ages 4-7. (Aug.)

School Library Journal

K-Gr 2-A wacky alphabet book with the best line on the cover. The clever title describes a wonderfully crazy world in which zucchini crop up everywhere. Readers see airplanes, cars, fences, gumballs, jewelry, and even road signs made from the ubiquitous green vegetable. From apple antics'' tooctopus overalls'' and ice cream island'' tosailor salad,'' children are treated to a humorous word game that doesn't go anywhere. There is no plot, no point. The text is merely a description of the illustrations. This is not a beginner's alphabet book, as there are no examples of uppercase and lowercase letters, and there isn't enough here for older readers. The colorful, vibrant acrylic paintings are crisp and lively. Reminiscent of Mark Teague's style, these are funny, clever, artsy pictures that make adults chuckle but won't do much for children. Librarians can skip this unless there is a demand for off-the-wall alphabet books.-Beth Tegart, Oneida City Schools, NY