Reviews
A New York Times Bookshelf selection.
“Learning the correct sequence of the letters is usually considered a necessary part of memorizing the alphabet, but here readers have an ABC that begins with the iguanas in their pajamas, ends with a cow that is mooing anyhow, and has 24 other critters sandwiched in-between in no particular order. Colorful endpapers do provide the standard line-up from A to Z. Alphabetical jingles and jump-rope-type rhymes describe the antics of the bumptious and rowdy birds, beasts, and insects that descend upon a little girl’s breakfast table…Young listeners and readers will enjoy following the amazing activities from page to page, the surprising comings and goings through the open window and the unpredictable events taking place within the pictures on the walls. Bright, bold, busy and innovative." —School Library Journal
“Lively creatures, drawn with mischievous good humor, invade a room where a child breakfasts and draws in her notebook…The letters are not in alphabetical order; as the animals are identified, block capitals are put in place in a page-encircling alphabet that is finally completed with the cow. An entertaining exercise in letter recognition and ordering, enlivened by Zimmer’s zany illustrations and by the realistic story that frames the fantasy." —Kirkus
“Endpapers back and front display the oddly assorted cast of this lively alphabet drama about a little girl whose breakfast is interrupted by the arrival of a slew of weird-looking uninvited animal guests. Hopping through the window, popping out of a trunk, or leaping from a picture on the wall, the animals grow in number, creating havoc and surprising one another and the little girl who seems to love the wacky goings-on. Simple, catchy verse and Zimmer’s illustrations are clever… Children who look closely will find more mischief afoot in the pictures on the walls.” — ALA Booklist
"If simple delight is what you are looking for, try The Cow Is Mooing Anyhow by Laura Geringer, illustrated with zany and unique flavor by Dirk Zimmer. Hilarious and decidedly unpretentious.” —The LA Times