Eek!: A Noisy Journey from A to Z

by Julie Larios, Julie Paschkis (Illustrator)

Overview

Make some noise for the most fun alphabet book you'll read this year! A lively, engaging read aloud just right for toddlers and preschoolers.

Author Julie Larios teams up with award-winning author and illustrator Julie Paschkis to lead young readers on a humorous, boisterous parade through the alphabet―letter by letter and sound by noisy sound!

This charming story begins quietly as Mouse selects a flower for someone very dear to him. Then the fun kicks in! To complete his journey, Mouse must make his way through the alphabet. One sniff of his special flower―"Achoo!"―and a bee flies out―"Bzzz!" Readers will love meeting the colorful characters along Mouse's trek and will cheer when he reaches his destination and presents the flower to.... Well, that part of the story is a surprise!

Larios and Paschkis have produced an entertaining combination of clever onomatopoeic wordplay and lively art that's ideal for educators seeking fun, interactive read-alouds, story time, and for preschoolers learning oral language. It's sure to delight young fans and inspire them to create imaginary alphabet adventures of their own.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781682631690
Publisher:	Holiday House
Publication date:	09/01/2020
Pages:	32
Sales rank:	703,485
Product dimensions:	10.60(w) x 9.40(h) x 0.40(d)
Lexile:	NP (what's this?)
Age Range:	3 - 7 Years

About the Author

Julie Larios is an award-winning poet whose work for adults has been included twice in The Best American Poetry series. With children, she loves exploring riddles, rhymes, chants, blessings, curses, playground songs, and the amazing music and mystery of words. She has also published several picture books. She lives in Bellingham, Washington.

Julie Paschkis grew up in Pennsylvania, then attended Cornell University and the School for American Craftsmen at RIT, where she earned a BFA. She taught art to grade-school children for several years while working on her own art and illustration. Julie now works full-time painting, designing textiles, creating commercial illustrations, and illustrating children's books. An award-winning illustrator and author of books for children, she displays her love of pattern and folk art in all of her illustration work. She lives in Seattle, Washington.

Editorial Reviews

"Charming. . . adorable, brightly colored illustrations. . . Parents, teachers, and caregivers will enjoy the artwork and the opportunity to work on oral language. . . . A lovely and fun addition to an early childhood collection or for early literacy experiences." —School Library Journal

★ "This clever take on the alphabet book lets readers fill in the story on their own. . . . Paschkis' folk-art–inspired illustrations, filled with movement, pattern, and color, practically leap off the page. . . . An absolute zoo of an ABC book—in the best possible way."—Kirkus Reviews, Starred Review

"Vibrant colors prevail in Julie Paschkis's lively folk art. . . Children ages 2-5 who like a bit of noise with their books will enjoy these bright and buoyant pages." —The Wall Street Journal

"[An] entertainingly madcap alphabet adventure. . . Paschkis provides delicate drawings. . . The solidly colored backgrounds pop with eye-catching hues. . . Paschkis keeps the compositions from becoming cluttered. Viewers will delight in narrating the action, particularly given the boisterous sounds occurring all throughout the book, and in spotting and naming all the animals that appear." —The Horn Book Magazine

From the Publisher

07/10/2020

PreS-Gr 1—This charming ABC book follows a little mouse as it moves through its community. Each double-page spread is two or more letters and each letter has a single word to go with it. Most of the words are onomatopoeic. The book has adorable, brightly colored illustrations with animals cheerfully going about their day, but the mouse is the star of the show. The India ink and gouache pictures are lively and inviting. There's no real story arc, but each page flows neatly into the next, giving the mouse a path through the book. The book's target audience of early readers won't care about the lack of a problem and solution because it's going to be so much fun to point at the pictures and find the mouse and make all the noises. Parents, teachers, and caregivers will enjoy the artwork and the opportunity to work on oral language. VERDICT A lovely and fun addition to an early childhood collection or for early literacy experiences. —Debbie Tanner, S D Spady Montessori Elem., FL

School Library Journal

★ 2020-05-03
Animals run amok from A to Z in this noisy alphabet book.

A mouse in tweed trousers plucks a flower and carries it away. But allergies kick in, and the mouse’s “achoo” scares away the bee that had been resting between the flower’s petals. As the bee flies off with a “bzzz,” a red bird gives out a “chirp,” and a nearby cat’s bell goes “ding-a-ling.” Just when the mouse turns to look, the cat’s paw reaches over the gutter: “Eeek!” Lucky for the mouse, a black dog take hold of the cat’s tail first. The cat flips over with a shocking “fwump.” The dog lets out a playful “grrr,” clearly aiming for some fun. The mouse’s story—and sounds associated with the rest of the alphabet—continues as more animal characters enter the action. But where is the mouse going? Will they ever make it there? Using only 26 onomatopoeic sounds and picture cues, this clever take on the alphabet book lets readers fill in the story on their own. Though hints on the recto pages signal what might happen next, each double-page spread contains a surprise—including the constantly changing background colors. Paschkis’ folk-art–inspired illustrations, filled with movement, pattern, and color, practically leap off the page. The endpapers depict each of the letters in no particular order, with enough space between them that readers can practice letter knowledge.

An absolute zoo of an ABC book—in the best possible way. (Picture book. 2-5)

Kirkus Reviews