Alpha Beta Chowder

This ode to the alphabet is wickedly funny, smart, and saucy and will have kids saying ABC, again please, you brigand!

This wry and winsome picture book is a spicy alphabet soup indeed! With each letter-centric verse introducing you to characters like noisome Naomi (nervy as a newt), King Kang (the killer kangaroo who plays kazoo), and even the lovey-dovey lunatic from Lvov, you’ll never get bored learning that “B” is for “Belligerent Bear” instead of “balloon” or “ball”!

With language that tickles with alliteration and keen wit, and drawings that gleefully capture western melodrama, domestic disasters, near-death by piano lessons, and excruciating concertina concerts, this classic Steig & Steig alphabet book is a feast for eyes and ears alike.

Jeanne Steig is the author of several books for children including, most notably, Consider the Lemming, The Old Testament Made Easy, Alpha Beta Chowder, A Handful of Beans, and A Gift from Zeus; all of which were illustrated by her late husband and award-winning author/illustrator, William Steig. She lives in Boston, Massachusetts.

William Steig (1907–2003) was a cartoonist, illustrator, and author of award-winning books for children. Most notably Sylvester and the Magic Pebble, for which he received the Caldecott Medal; The Amazing Bone, a Caldecott Honor book; Amos & Boris, a National Book Award Finalist; and Abel’s Island and Doctor De Soto, both Newbery Honor books. Steig is also the creator of Shrek! which inspired the Dreamworks films. Steig also received the Christopher Award, the Irma Simonton Black Award, the William Allen White Children’s Book Award, the America Book Award, and Society of Illustrators Lifetime Achievement Award. He was also the US nominee for both of the biennial, international Hans Christian Andersen Awards as an illustrator in 1982, and then as an author in 1988. He is survived by his wife, Jeanne Steig, and four children.