Alphabad

Linda Ludke is a children’s librarian at the London Public Library.

From “A is for atrocious” to “Z is for zany,” an irrepressible
group of children wreak havoc on their world. Hiding behind furniture,
“Beastly brats set boobytraps for their babysitters.” Practicing
judo in the back seat of a car “gives drivers the jitters.” While
flooding the bathroom, “unruly urchins put umbrellas to unpredictable
uses.”

Dusan Petricic’s ink cartoons perfectly capture the mischief-making.
A sidewalk full of grown-ups hop onto a park bench, and even hang from a
tree limb to avoid an encounter with a “troop of toddlers on
tricycles.” The black-and-white line drawings have a splash of green
accent and are visually striking.

Children will relish the sly grins on the faces of imps who push
“extra buttons on the elevator,” hide behind hedges as adults call
their name, and conduct “exploding xylophone experiments.” This
wickedly funny romp through the alphabet is highly recommended.