Synopses & Reviews
Itand#8217;s a great day to go to the zoo! As her family hustles to get out the door, Little T lags behind. Sheand#8217;s afraid to go back to the zoo; the only trouble is, she canand#8217;t remember why. As an ingenious solution to help her remember, her mom, dad, and sister construct homemade costumes and act out zoo animalsand#151;in alphabetical order, no less! The costumes and scenes grow increasingly elaborate and breathtakingly creative. An umbrella and bubble wrap magically transform into a jellyfish, bath towels and a can of soda become a parrot, and many, many more. At the end of the day, Little T has conquered her fear and no longer feels like a and#147;fraidyzoo.and#8221;
In this charming, witty picture book debut, Thyra Heder honors the bravery it takes to face your fears, and the loving people who help you do so. and#160;
Praise for Fraidyzoo
STARRED REVIEWS
"WARNING: Expect riotous buffoonery after reading this clever and original alphabet story, as kids will definitely want to and#147;parrotand#8221; the examples."
and#151;Kirkus Reviews, starred review
"Debut talent Heder comes up with a wildly imaginative idea for an alphabet book/animal guessing game, elaborates it with smartly drafted ink-and-watercolor spreads, and seasons it with plenty of family warmth and hullaballoo."
and#151;Publishers Weekly, starred review
"The cut-and-paste, handmade look and feel of this picture book underscores its thematic ode to creative problem solving... The charming, detailed watercolor and ink illustrations really tell the story, and children will relish poring over them to guess the animal costumes and identify their construction materials."
and#151;School Library Journal
"Heder tells a child-relevant story about facing your fears with a light hand and zippy prose, but itand#8217;s her art that dials the zippiness up to 11, as her warm and humorously realistic figures gallivant alongside some remarkably envisioned handcrafted animal puppets."
and#151;Booklist
"This book does the impossible, taking one of the oldest childrenand#8217;s book conventions, the zoo alphabet, and completely reinventing it.and#160; Itand#8217;s a story about a family helping one of their own overcome fear by being utterly silly and completely loving.and#160; The whole thing is done with such a confident and lively style, itand#8217;s hard to believe that this is Hederand#8217;s first picture book. Fraidyzoo is funny, original, and announces Heder as a force to be reckoned with."
and#151;The Atlantic Wire
"Illustrations capture the empathy of a very concerned, loving, and creative family."
and#151;Library Media Connection
Award
2014 Texas 2x2 Reading Award List
Notable Children's Books from ALSC 2014
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Review
“This zany alphabet book will make children smile.” School Library Journal (starred review)
Review
“Everybody will be elated with this goofy new way of going from A to Z.” Bulletin of the Center for Children & #8217;s Books (starred review)
Review
“This laugh-out-loud romp of an abecedary features an impatient moose who just cant wait for his turn.” Booklist (starred review)
Review
“Just label it F for funny.” Kirkus Reviews (starred review)
Review
“If you think youve seen every possible idea for an alphabet book played out, think again.” Horn Book (starred review)
Review
“Readers accustomed to the usual list of letters will be giggling with suspense by the time ‘L is for Lollipop rolls around.” Publishers Weekly (starred review)
Review
“Hilarious mayhem. . . . The familiar ABC has never been more fun.” The Guardian
Synopsis
Z is for Zebra.
Zebra is absolutely certain hell be able to direct everyone to appear on the correct page, at the appropriate time, without any mishaps, unnecessary drama, or hurt feelings. Its the ABCs, for goodness sake. How difficult can it be?
Oh, dear.
Zebra forgot about moose.
Synopsis
Caldecott Medalist Paul O. Zelinsky illustrates Kelly Bingham's outrageously funny, critically acclaimed, and boundary-breaking story about a moose, a zebra, and the alphabet! Zebra wants to put on a show as simple as ABC, but Zebra's friend Moose has other (unexpected and hilarious) ideas!
Zebra thinks the alphabet should be simple. A is for Apple. B is for Ball. Easy! But his friend Moose is too excited to wait his turn, and when M isn't for Moose (Mouse gets the honor), the rest of the letters better run for cover. Exuberant and zany storytelling brings to life two friends and one laugh-out-loud comedy of errors that's about friendship, sharing, and compromise. The incomparable Paul O. Zelinsky's artwork is bursting at the seams—literally—with child appeal. Breaking the borders of the page, and creating the art both digitally and traditionally, Zelinsky turns convention on its head. The result is a picture book that is innovative, hilarious, and begging to be read over and over again.
Named a Notable Book for Children by the American Library Association
Supports the Common Core State Standards
Synopsis
In a funny and informative picture book, Newbery medalist Linda Sue Park and artist Jennifer Black Reinhardt roll out an entertaining survey of animals whose names are also verbsandmdash;in scenes where yaks yak, slugs slug slugs, rams ram, and kids kid.
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About the Author
When her elementary school classmates said that they wanted to be firemen, doctors, and vets, Jennifer Black Reinhardt declared that she wanted to draw the pictures on greeting cards. Today, her diverse body of work includes not only greeting cards but novel jackets, calendars, and picture books.andnbsp;Jennifer lives in Iowa with her husband, two teenagery teenagers, and a big white poodle.