Alpha Oops!: The Day Z Went First    by Aletha Kontis & Bob Kolar Order:  USA  Can Candlewick, 2012 (2006) Hardcover, Softcover     Reviewed by Bob Walch Get ready for an alphabet revolt! It was just a matter of time before the letters at the end of the alphabet would rise up and complain about always being last. Z leads the insurrection. 'Zebra and I are SICK of this last-in-line stuff!' says Z. 'We want to go first!' And so they do, and now you get to do the alphabet backwards. 'Z is for zebra. Y is for yarn. W is for whale.' And so it goes. But now some of the other letters are upset. 'Oh, come on. Even if we go backwards some of us are still stuck in the middle,' complains P. Then H puts in her two cents' worth, 'Just because you all want to be different doesn't mean I do. I happen to like being right where I always am.' Oh dear! This situation is getting totally out of control! And, as chaos reigns with all the letters voicing their opinions, everything gets all mixed up. Goodness, what a disaster! Along with all the letters getting caught up in this rigmarole, the art on the pages reflects what's happening and, although very colorful, the illustrations become cluttered with almost too much happening on each page. Personally, this type of artistic mayhem doesn't appeal to me. But I think the children for whom this picture book is intended (youngsters ages four and older) probably won't mind the whirlwind of letters and objects. In fact, they will probably find it rather appealing because there is a lot to look at. A rather unconventional look at the alphabet, Alpha Oops! does present a different way of approaching the A-B-Cs and the comic confusion is kind of funny. Note: Opinions expressed in reviews and articles on this site are those of the author(s) and not necessarily those of BookLoons. Find more Kids books on our Shelves or in our book Reviews