Achoo! Bang! Crash! The Noisy Alphabet by Ross MacDonald

From the Publisher

A for . . . Achoo?
B for Bump, Bang, and Bop?
C for Crackle, Clank, and Crunch?

This is truly an alphabet with attitude, created by that master of raucous humor, Ross MacDonald. In this hilarious book you'll see clothes ripped off an intrepid game hunter by a ferocious lion (ROAR! RIP! RUN!); a little boy who manages to pin the tail on his father, rather than the donkey. (NO! OH! OOPS! OW!); and an exceedingly plump Santa being crammed down the chimney (JINGLE! JINGLE! JINGLE!).

But wait! There's more! All the words in this book where set in 19th-century wood type and printed in blazing color on a handpress, creating extraordinary visual effects. An endnote accompanied by photographs describes the process and serves as a fascinating introduction to a disappearing craft

Publishers Weekly

In a delirious explosion of vintage typefaces and sharp retro design, MacDonald (Another Perfect Day) goes from "A-choo!" to "Zip! Zap! Zing! Zoom." Every pictured situation has a slapstick bent and the onomatopoeia recalls classic biff-bang-pow comic-book fights. For the letter "F," a man steps on a rake ("Fa-dwap! Fwip!"), and for "L," a Valkyrie sings an operatic, sunset-orange "Lah!" (which fills an entire page) as she "leap[s]" from the stage. Given all the noise, some cartoon violence occurs, but it is mild(a young Robin Hood, for instance, shoots a suction-cup-tipped arrow at an enormous red-breasted bird: "Twang! Thwak! Tweet!"). Although each single-page image stands still, MacDonald's deft placement of word-sounds and motion lines suggests antic movement. By examining the positions of a grinning green dragon, a pudgy dappled steed and a fallen knight ("Klip! Klop! Klang! Klank! Ka-pow!"), readers can imagine how the horse galloped up the dragon's spiny back, skidded to a halt and threw its rider. MacDonald salutes 1930s and '40s comic strips with men in suits, devilish toddlers in cutesy ruffles, doe-eyed animals and oily, saturated hues of yellow, red-orange and blue. He block-prints the oversize, playful words with 19th-century wood type, which, according to an informative afterword, was "used to print early American circus posters, newspaper headlines, theater playbills, and `wanted' posters." MacDonald blends antique design traditions, an offhand history lesson and a pleasingly silly sense of humor in this idiosyncratic alphabet book. Hip hip hooray! Ages 3-6. (Aug.) Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information.

Ken Marantz and Sylvia Marantz - Children's Literature

This alphabet book has as its ingenious theme and its only text, noises, exclamations of amazing variety, one or more to a page or double page for each letter. It is a presentation that gets its zing from letter forms printed from 19th century wooden type, mostly upper case in all sizes and colors. The colored drawings which illustrate the words are produced in muted colors in a retro style that reflects the 1930's and is broadly comic. A little boy reacting with a big "ICK!" as a little girl tries to kiss him; a man getting a "DANG! DING! DONG!" from a falling piano are typical examples. Two pages offer a note on the type with photographs and simple text describing how wood type is used to print. 2003, A Neal Porter Book/ Roaring Brook Press, Ages 4 to 7.

School Library Journal

PreS-Gr 1-With all the exuberance of a marching band, this "Noisy Alphabet" explodes on the page. From "Achoo!" to "Zip! Zap! Zing! Zoom!" MacDonald treats readers and listeners to a bounty of sounds and an abundance of visual humor. Santa's reindeer "jingle" as they jump on Santa's "jiggle" bottom to push him down a chimney, a child pins a tail on an adult on the "NO! OH! OW oops!" spread, and a lion roars as he rips off the back of a hunter's outfit to reveal a bare back and bottom on the running man, while "The End" is the proverbial plump workman's rear. A two-page note explains how the text was created using antique wood type and a vintage printing press. The illustrations, done in an old-fashioned cartoon style, were added after in a warm rainbow palette that totally supports the text. Amid the plethora of alphabet books, Achoo! Bang! Crash! is hard to ignore, easy to appreciate, and sure to delight the young. Pair it with Bill Martin, Jr.'s Chicka Chicka Boom Boom (S & S, 1989) for a raucous alphabetic read-aloud.-Jody McCoy, The Bush School, Seattle, WA Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information.

Kirkus Reviews

Noise is a sure-fire theme in picture books and the cover alone will entice kids to this retro abecedarium akin to Brown’s Noisy Book. The telling is in the type, literally, as word sounds, set in 19th-century wood type and printed in bright colors on a handpress, enact small scenes for each letter; e.g., H is visualized with a child pointing at a man wearing a tie, garters, and jacket but no shirt or pants, with the words "HAW" and "HEE HEE." Some displays are standard, like "GRRR," "GRUNT," "GROWL," while some are unusual like "FA-DWAP" and "FWIP." Q is the best; with the word "QUIET" superimposed on "QUACKS" as a toddler pulls a duck toy and a man holds his ears. Over 70 words are composed, each in a different typeface. The 1940/’50s illustration style. with pudgy-kneed, round-faced kids, provides effective backdrops for the dramatized sounds. The yellow-dominant palette against cream paper infuses energy into the actions, many containing monsters. Great potential for reading aloud and program sharing. Endnote describes the process. (Picture book. 4+)

Details from Seller

• ISBN: 0761317961
• Publisher: Roaring Brook Press
• Pub. Date: August 2003
• Condition:

Comments from the Seller: 2003 Hardcover New New.