Publishers Weekly
- Publisher's Weekly
Where will they strike next? A jar of olives (medium, pitted, California), a waffle iron (silver, black-handled), a rock (plain, brown)-each conceals a daffy insect invention from the creator of How Many Bugs in a Box? and Jingle Bugs. In Carter's latest, familiar objects (umbrella, doughnut, hammer, etc.) are given (appropriately named) bug eyes and, often, antennae; they are wittily transformed into members of an odd but comical alphabet species. The subtitle doesn't quite do the book justice, since there as many pull-tabs and liftable flaps as true pop-ups (and a turning wheel, a tactile powder puff and even a scratchable ``fancy fragrant Flower Bug'')-but that minor cavil certainly won't prevent kids from having a grand time as they discover three particularly peppy specimens lurking in a ``jar of jumping Jellybean Bugs'' or lift a vibrant green vine to uncover ``two terribly timid Tomato Bugs.'' Amusing alliteration and a zany sense of humor deliver fun with every letter. Ages 2-4. (Sept.)
Publishers Weekly
For the younger set, David Carter uses bug eyes and, often, antennae to wittily transform familiar objects into members of an odd alphabet species in the mini-edition of his Alpha Bugs: A Pop-Up Alphabet. According to PW's review of the original 1994 edition, "Amusing alliteration and a zany sense of humor deliver fun with every letter." Copyright 2006 Reed Business Information.
Children's Literature
- Eleanor Heldrich
Little Simon has reissued this extremely successful pop-up book first published twelve years ago, this time in a smaller size. The book still has everything book shoppers seek for small children—surprises, humor, opportunities for seeing new things and learning from them, sturdy construction, and a lot of movables. There are twenty-six entirely different flaps to lift, one for each letter of the alphabet. David Carter, famous for his many pop-up books, painted the pictures and engineered the actions. There are all kinds, sizes, and shapes of imaginary insects rolling down the pages in spirals, leaping up when tabs are pulled, popping up when a page is opened, jumping out of boxes, spinning around on wheels, and there is even a spot of texture. Not often can you find this much motion in such variety. The new book is twenty percent smaller and a lot less expensive than the 1994 original.
Children's Literature
- Susie Wilde
Alphabet learners get a wild introduction to interactive education in Carter's Alpha Bugs. Carter gives the same rollicking treatment to letters that he did to numbers in How Many Bugs in a Box? This is a multi-sensory approach to the alphabet in which young learners can scratch and sniff the fragrant Flower Bug, touch the soft pink "plush pink Powder Puff Bug" or slide the "yellow Yin-yang Yo-yo Bug" up and down the page. There's humor and artistry to please every age.
