Hello, friends! Our book today is Z Goes First, written by Sean Lamb and illustrated by Mike Perry, a look at the alphabet from the perspective of its last letter.

Being in the alphabet is fine, but Z is simply bored and frustrated with being last! How come she never gets to go first? With her friend Y tagging along, she decides to take a journey to the beginning of the alphabet. The pair meet all of the other letters along the way, from the wisecracking duo of J and K, the inseparable crowd of LMNOP, the narcissistic I, and the imperiously popular E. At last, Z and Y find themselves at the beginning of the alphabet… or where they really there all along?

This was pretty darn cute. In the tradition of Chicka Chicka Boom Boom, the story humanizes the letters, even presenting each as having their own unique personality, down to the way they appear (fancy, colorful, emulating words that they begin such as “tree”, etc). Paired with clever wordplay and alphabet-related puns, this gives a simple alphabet book an engaging storyline and plenty of child- and adult-friendly humor, and makes for a fun read. The illustrations are madcap in color and design, but never in a way that feels overwhelming or dissonant. The ending is a bit confusing and abrupt however, and may fly over the heads of younger readers. Still, the length was good and JJ really enjoyed it. Definitely give this one a read (tip: look up the pronunciation for flocci­nauci­nihili­pilification beforehand). Baby Bookworm approved!

(Note: A copy of this book was provided to The Baby Bookworm by the publisher in exchange for an honest review.)