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Title: The Dangerous Alphabet
ISBN: 0060783338
Author:
Neil Gaiman
Publicate Date: 2008-05-01
Publish: 2008-05-01
List Price: $17.99
Average Customer Rating: 4.5
Format: Hardcover
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Amazon Lowest New Price: $10.27
Amazon Lowest Used Price: $10.91
Amazon Merchant Price: $12.23
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| Customer Review: |
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1: super cool-maybe a little...edgy for young ones.
like i said above, super cool, awesome art, maybe a little-edgy(i.e. scary)for young ones. my five year old loved it, but i think she was a little scared of the dark that night. still, very good.
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2: Will appeal to boys around seven or eight-years-old
Reviewed by Nicholas Lopez (age 6) and Leslie Granier for Reader Views (7/08)
Two children and their pet gazelle go on an adventure in hopes of finding a treasure. (I would not have known this without reading the book jacket.) Each letter of the alphabet has an important part in telling the story of the dangers the children encounter. A lot of pictures of words that start with the featured letter are cleverly worked into the illustrations, although children may not be familiar with some of these objects.
Nicholas thought, "This is a scary book with lots of monsters and ugly birds. I'm not gonna look for treasures if I see those birds. The writer doesn't know the right way the letters go in the alphabet. He did W before V. That's silly!"
"The Dangerous Alphabet" by Neil Gaiman will appeal to boys around seven or eight-years-old. They can use their imaginations to experience the journey along with the characters. Some of the illustrations are a little menacing so younger kids may be afraid.
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3: Holds great appeal for all ages
"The Dangerous Alphabet" is told in twenty-six alphabetical lines which comprise thirteen couplets. The story revolves around two young children, a boy and a girl, and their pet gazelle who on finding a treasure map strike out to find the treasure. Along the journey, they meet all kinds of nasty monsters and evil pirates who stand between them and the loot. When the girl is eventually captured, it's up to our young hero to save her. Will he find her in time, and will they uncover the treasure?
Considering he is writing in couplets that are to appeal to children, Gaiman does remarkably well in being creative and staying away from the "groan" factor. (The physical phenomenon in which a rhyme is so egregious you are forced to groan in disgust. I'd give an example, but I prefer to live without the resulting mail bombs.) But "The Dangerous Alphabet" truly lives and dies on the quality of its artwork. And Gris Grimly does an outstanding job here. Grimly's artwork is wonderfully stylistic and interesting, capturing a highly original look and feel and rendering it beautifully.
Last Word:
"The Dangerous Alphabet" should definitely appeal to young children, particularly children just learning the alphabet. While the story is not surprisingly simple in form, the amazing artwork should appeal to children of all ages.
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4: Not bad, but not great either.
This picture book, written by Neil Gaiman of Sandman fame and illustrated by Gris Grimly, is very different from the other picture books in that it's terribly short and there's not as much words. It's basically a flowing poem that's derived from the english alphabet, and to give Neil credit, it's a reasonably good poem too; it's very flowing and very whimsical and very funny in a dark way. I found myself amused at the beautiful images Gris came up with to accompany the words. But to be honest, picture book or not, there's not much story here and you will find yourself wanting more. It's obviously due to the concept of using the alphabet to tell the story getting above the story itself.
Gris Grimly did a wonderful job with it though, so if you want to get this book, get it for his art.
I think Neil never intended this to be a children's book but you may get this for your child if he or she's at least watched cartoons where similar themes have been shown, because although the story's quite light and funny for young adults and teenagers, it may scare 5-10 years olds.
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5: Another Gaiman hit!
This book is great. I can't wait to have kids and share the joy that is this book with them! There is so much going on in the pictures, you feel as though they are moving. The illustrations come to life in this simple, dark, childrens's story.
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