MacDonald gives Lear’s 1871 collection of 26 nonsense rhymes a fresh take in this fun-filled alphabetical frolic. Hilarious, tongue-twisting rhymes lend themselves to wild interpretation and repetition. “A was once an apple pie, pidy, widy, tidy, pidy, nice insidy, apple pie!” is followed by “B was once a little bear, beary, wary, hairy, beary, taky cary, little bear!” Colorful, simple hand-painted cut-paper illustrations on a clean white backdrop ground the rhymes, providing visual links from one to the other. The wary, hairy little bear from the letter B curiously peers down at a tidy, “nice insidy” apple pie from the letter A. A blue jay from the letter J, a kite from the letter K, and a lark from the letter L aerially interact in one double-page spread, while the hefty ox from the letter X and the pack-carrying yak from the letter Y meet along the road in another. Action-packed antics and whimsical verses guarantee an upbeat trip from A to Z. (Picture book. 3-6)
