Do you ever feel like no one is paying attention to you?  That's the way Moose feels in Kelly Bingham's Z is for Moose.  A truly hilarious tale that will keep classes in stitches!

Moose will start to infiltrate the story at around the letter, "D."  He can't wait around until "M" comes around!  That's much too long to wait!  By the time "M" comes around, Moose will be in for a surprise.  You will be sure to smile at the surprise ending.

This book may seem like a concept book for toddlers.  However, the humor seems to be just right for lower elementary readers!  This is not your typical alphabet book!

Can you guess what these objects have in common? Give up? Well they are all characters in three brand new concept books you can find at the San Jose Public Library. Most children’s librarians will agree that a concept book is “a book intended for young children that focuses on colors, shapes, sizes, number and counting, and the alphabet.”  The following are new ones that I enjoyed and I think children will too:

Perfect Square by Michael Hall: It starts with a “perfect square that has four matching corners and four equal sides and is perfectly happy.”  As the week progresses our perfect square changes into things that are different but make him just as happy. Beautiful colors, beautiful shapes, a perfect book. Enjoy!

Apple Pie ABC by Alison Murray: A young girl bakes an apple pie and her pup wakes up to the delicious smell. He definitely wants a taste! He is Eager for it, he Jumps for it, he Ogles it, he Pines for it and so on through the alphabet. Will pup ever get a taste of that apple pie? Check out Apple Pie ABC to find out and learn the alphabet too!

Pete the Cat, I Love My White Shoes by Eric Litwin: Meet Pete the Cat who is wearing white shoes that he just loves so much that he sings about them.  But do they stay white, of course not. Follow Pete throughout his day as his shoes turn so many colors. Here’s a great clip of the author, Eric Litwin and illustrator James Dean performing their book!

Have you ever discovered interesting rocks on the beach, in the woods, or on a sidewalk?   Over the years, author/illustrator Leslie McGuirk has collected dozens of rocks shaped like letters of the alphabet, as well as rocks shaped like various items.  If Rocks Could Sing:  A Discovered Alphabet has beautiful photographs of the rocks she has collected.   To learn more about the author/illustrator, please visit her web site.   You can also see a cute video with excerpts of the book here.

Chicka Chicka Boom Boom, written by Bill Martin, Jr. and John Archambault and illustrated by Lois Ehlert is another fun alphabet book.   All of the lower case alphabet letters decide to climb a coconut tree on a full moon.   Will the tree hold all of them?  Read this fun rhyming story and find out!

Some other delightful alphabet books include:

Alphabeep: A Zipping, Zooming ABC
Written by Debora Pearson and illustrated by Edward Miller

Alphabet Under Construction
Written and illustated by Denise Fleming

B Is for Bulldozer: A Construction ABC

Written by June Sobel and illustrated by Melissa Iwai

Cleo's Alphabet Book

Written by Stella Blackstone and illustrated by Caroline Mockford

Firefighters A to Z
Written and illustated by Chris L. Demarest

Jeepers Creepers: A Monstrous ABC
Written by Laura Leuck and illustrated by David Parkins

Rainbow Fish A,B,C
Written and illustated by Marcus Pfister

The Sleepy Little Alphabet: A Bedtime Story from Alphabet Town
Written by Judy Sierra and illustrated by Melissa Sweet

So Many Bunnies: A Bedtime ABC and Counting Book
Written by Rick Walton and illustrated by Paige Miglio

The Turn-Around, Upside-Down Alphabet Book
Written and illustated by Lisa Campbell Ernst

Maira Kalman’s, What Pete Ate from A-Z, is a humorous and unique addition to the alphabet genre of books for children. Ms.Kalman does not take the usual route with “A is for apple”, “B is for baby” or “Z is for zebra.” Instead, “A is for accordion” and Pete the not-so-perfect pooch eats the accordion. After that he swallows a bouncing ball, a camera, a doll’s head, an egg-beater and he continues eating his way through the alphabet.

Kalman’s fanciful flowing verses, “When I turned my back for an itsy iota of time, he ate my beautiful pink ice pop” are placed beside her playful and spirited illustrations creating a lively scene. Kalman’s books inspire an imaginative and creative view of life. Visit her website for more information on her work for children and adults.