Alphabet Explosion! a fun puzzle ABC book (ages 4 - 8)

Kids love puzzles, and will pour over "I Spy" books for hours. We have loved Alphabet Explosion! by John Nickle, and think it's an ABC book that really engages kids - both those just learning their alphabet and older kids who just love picture puzzles. Puzzle books like this are particularly good for boys and kids who might not be drawn to traditional books.

Alphabet Explosion!Search and Count from Alien to Zebra
by John Nickle
NY: Schwartz & Wade / Random House, 2006
ages 4 - 8
available on Amazon and at your local library

Do you love a challenge? On each page, there are a certain number of things that begin with that letter of the alphabet: objects, actions, colors - all using bold, bright illustrations. Just take a look at the cover to get a sense of the whimsical A page: an alligator wears an apron with an atom circling on it, while an alien hovers above shooting a bow and arrow at the ant playing an accordion. On this page alone, there are 22 A words. "And if you find fewer, don't worry," Nickle warns, "it's tricky!" There's an answer key in the back, listing all the words that the Chief Alphabet Expert (aka Nickle) found.

Alphabet Explosion balances obvious answers with tricky ones, creating a search game that will engage kids of all ages. It had us all piled on the bed trying to figure out this fun puzzle!  Hooray for alphabet books that are fun for the whole family to look at.

Would you like to sample some of the pages? Take a look at John Nickle's website to see his paintings from Alphabet Explosion! and test your detective skills!

The review copy came from our local library. If you make a purchase using the Amazon links on this page, a small portion will go to Great Kid Books (at no cost to you). Thank you for your support!