On Beyond Zebra

Publisher and industry reviews

UK Kirkus review

This is a fun and lively tale that young children will love, with all the successful ingredients of other Dr Seuss stories, including vibrant and imaginative pictures that bring the text to life. This is the tale of a boy who has changed the alphabet as we know it. With great relish, he explains that his alphabet starts where everyone else's ends! Page by page, the boy introduces his listener, Conrad Cornelius o'Donald o'Dell, to his own, new words. He delights in the onomatopoeic quality of his creations. For each word, there is an equally outlandish creature and a cartoon illustration to match. Young readers or listeners will revel in the bizarre characters. There is the Umbus with its 98 teats and the Glikker who lives on wild weeds and juggles cinnamon seeds. There is the Yekko from Gekko and the Sneedle, a 'ferocious mos-keedle'. The boy challenges readers to stretch their own imaginations and stimulate their creativity by thinking beyond the limitations of the alphabet we've been given. The tale romps along with lively and imaginative rhyme that adds to the pleasure. There is great fun to be had dealing with tongue-twisters such as: 'Floob is for Floob-Boober-Bab-Boober-Bubs/Who bounce in the water like blubbery tubs.' Ideal for sharing with young children or for budding readers to enjoy on their own, this is a challenge to read but provides real entertainment with words. The book provides an opportunity to introduce rhyme in a way that will capture the interest of very young children and will help to promote and encourage a love of words for their own sake. Ages: 3-7 (Kirkus UK)