ABC T-Rex (by Bernard Most)

Munch, munch, munch! This nonscientific tale depicts a tyrannosaurus eating a multitude of objects, including each letter of the alphabet. This clever theme for an ABC book will delight beginning readers as they identify the many objects on each page whose names begin with the featured letter.

A tyrannosaurus takes the reader through the alphabet, munching on letters with every turn of the page. The comical dinosaur appears among myriad alliterative objects (some obvious, some obscure). A list is provided at the end of the book to help readers locate the less identifiable items.

ABC books exist to present and emphasize the letters of the alphabet, and authors typically sacrifice a cohesive story line to achieve this goal. This is true for ABC T-Rex, but at least there's a uniting theme that helps fuse the actions of the character together. Many boldly colored objects whose names begin with the featured letter are drawn on each page, and the illustrator has gone to great lengths to tie the objects together in some logical fashion. For example, the letter K depicts the tyrannosaurus in a kitchen wearing a kangaroo-print shirt holding a shish kebab with its tail while pouring ketchup. In the background is a kitten eating kibble, and a kettle on the kitchen stove.

Author: Bernard Most
Illustrator: Bernard Most
Publisher: Harcourt Brace
Publication date: March 6, 2000
Number of pages: 40
Hardcover price: $14.00