An Excessive Alphabet

Judi and Ron Barrett — the team behind Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs — pack every page of this alphabet book with cartoon scenes crammed full of objects that all start with the featured letter. Each letter gets its own color scheme, the alliterative titles are playful, and the whole thing doubles as a seek-and-find hunt. Kirkus called out the energy and cleverness, both well-earned. The caveat is that this is a concept-and-activity book, not a story — it works best with an adult alongside to name and point and laugh. Solo readers may run out of steam. For preschool and kindergarten settings, though, it's a smart, replayable choice.