A Is for Musk Ox (Musk Ox Series #1)

by Erin Cabatingan, Matthew Myers (Illustrator)

Overview

Musk Ox, our rambunctious anti-hero, literally chews through the cover of this anarchic alphabet book. Having eaten the apple that A was supposed to be for, he blithely inserts himself, claiming A is for Musk Ox—because musk oxen are Awesome and live in the Arctic, which includes Alaska! Zebra, his nemesis, is less than thrilled.

And so this cantankerous couple lead the reader on a romp through the alphabet with Musk Ox claiming every letter for himself, and Zebra doing his level best to keep him under control. Filled with Matthew Myers's hilarious artwork with lots of hidden details for kids to explore, this may be the funniest alphabet book ever created.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781466817319
Publisher:	Roaring Brook Press
Publication date:	10/16/2012
Series:	Musk Ox Series , #1
Sold by:	Macmillan
Format:	eBook
Pages:	36
File size:	29 MB
Note:	This product may take a few minutes to download.
Age Range:	5 - 8 Years

About the Author

T is for Erin Cabatingan because she has Three children, Two cats, and when she was eleven, a Telephone pole fell on her house. She and her family have lived all over the United States from California to New York to Hawaii and she looks forward to wherever life takes her next. A Is for Musk Ox is her first book.

W is for Matthew Myers because he is constantly asking "Why?" almost as much as when he was a kid. "Why do zebras wear neckties but not socks? Why is there a double-u but not a triple-u? Why would anyone clog dance on purpose?" This is Matthew's second book for Roaring Brook Press. Matthew lives and works in Brooklyn, New York.

Erin Cabatingan grew up in Utah. She and her family have lived all over the United States from California to New York to Hawaii and she looks forward to wherever life takes her next. Currently, she lives with her husband and children in Virginia. Musk Ox Counts is her second book for Roaring Brook Press.
After a twenty-year career as an award-winning art director, Matthew Myers discovered his true vocation—illustrating picture books. His works for Roaring Brook Press include Tyrannosaurus Dad and A Is for Musk Ox.  He lives and works in North Carolina.

Editorial Reviews

...this ABC succeeds thanks to its hero's unstoppable swagger.” —Publishers Weekly

“…this vibrantly illustrated romp will deliver big laughs.” —Kirkus

“This is best suited for youngsters who've moved on from alphabet books entirely and who will get a kick out of chaotic disarrangement of the old familiar formula.” —BCCB

From the Publisher

Myers' hilarious illustrations strengthen debut author Cabatingan's ticklish prose in this not-quite-an-alphabet book. A frustrated zebra attempts to finagle a confession out of the musk ox, who obviously ate his apple. The musk ox, after admitting his guilt, tries to convince the zebra that he did him a favor since "A is for apple" is "sooo boring." Instead, the book would be far more interesting if every letter of the alphabet corresponded to an attribute of musk oxen. What follows is the morphing of a concept primer into a humorous science (and sometimes pseudoscience) book, as each colorful spread features the zebra's intended example plastered over by the words "musk ox". The "facts" about musk oxen range from ridiculous ("D is for musk ox. Because musk ox are daring") to genuinely interesting ("Q is for musk ox. Because the soft underwool of a musk ox is called Qiviut"). Cabatingan's expansive dialogue misses the humor mark as often as it hits, though, and a poor design choice renders the two characters' lines confusingly indistinguishable (the zebra's words are rendered in a san-serif type, but its color and font are too visually similar to the musk ox's lines), making this a challenging choice for group read-alouds. For audiences already familiar with their alphabet and mature enough to appreciate sophisticated humor, this vibrantly illustrated romp will deliver big laughs. (Picture book. 5-10)

Kirkus Reviews