A Was Once an Apple Pie by Edward Lear

A Was Once an Apple Pie Reviews

• 
  Dianna

  I was surprised by this one. So silly and so perfect. It might be just another ABC book, but it's sillier than all the others.
  
  My one complaint as I read it was that I wished each letter had its own page or spread. Also, I would love to see this in board book format.
• 
  Mama Bearian

  Alphabet books are typically geared toward children that are becoming familiar with the alphabet and expanding their vocabularies. This book does not work well for that. The poem that this book is based on uses nonsense words to make rhymes, which is very unhelpful for young ones trying to learn words. I did like the illustrations!
• 
  Kelly

  This is a letter identification book, and it's awesome! For example:
  
  A was one an apple pie,
  pidy, widy, tidy, pidy,
  nice insidy, apple pie!
  
  This is great.
• 
  Marcia

  A silly, rhymy alphabet book that was thoroughly enjoyed by the kindergarten.
• 
  Chelsea

  Funny poems using rhyming invented words. Had my almost 3 year old in giggles.
• 
  Jennifer

  I always liked Edward Lear. Some rare words, big pictures.
• 
  Karla

  not a fan
  
  rhymes
  
  but hard to read aloud
• 
  Stacey

  I might use this for a final fast read book.
• 
  Alison Wickham

  A rhyming book based around the alphabet. A fun way to engage EYFS and KS1 into rhyming and learning the alphabet.
• 
  Ethan

  The incessant rhyming!!! 🥴
• 
  Mellanie C

  I love the nonsense of Edward Lear's alphabet.
• 
  Rachel Rouleau

  I found this book annoying AF. The rhymes were dumb and irritating. This one is going back to the library after reading once.
• 
  Jenna

  o Genre: Picture books - Alphabet or counting
  o Awards: No awards were given
  o Grades: Pre 5- 2nd
  o Why it’s in this category: This is an alphabet picture book. Each page has a letter with a sentence using words that start with that letter.
  o Color: the visual direction and pattern of the brush strokes used in the pictures shows the variety of the colors and shows the importance of the pictures illustrating the letters. Everything else is white, so that the child can focus on the letters and pictures.
  o How to use it: This would be a good tool to teach the alphabet.
• 
  Christine Turner

  Handpainted cut paper artwork by Caldecott winner Suse Macdonald illustrates this stunning adaptation of Edward Lear's classic ABC rhyme.
  
  A was once an apple pie,
  Piedy
  Widey
  Tidy
  Piedy
  Nice insidey, APPLE PIE!
  
  Suse MacDonald adapts Edward Lear's fun-to-say, alphabet rhyme in a picture book that combines the classic with the up-to-date. Bright, bold illustrations are created with handpainted cut paper. A Bear sniffs an Apple pie, a Cat and Dog are friends, an Eel and Fish share an ocean,
  a Goose spills a bottle of Ink, while a Hen laughs and later a Mouse is observed by an Owl in a Nest!
  A stunning book!
  
  Notes
  Edward Lear was born in Holloway, England, to Jeremiah (a stockbroker) and Ann Lear, tutored at home by his sister, and briefly attended the Royal Academy schools. Both an author and an illustrator, he earned his living as an artist from the age of 15, mainly by doing landscapes. What he is remembered for is his nonsense books, especially his popularization of the limerick. Along with Lewis Carroll, he is considered to be the founder of nonsense poetry.
  In addition to his limericks, he created longer nonsense poems. The best---and best known---is The Jumblies, in which the title characters go to sea in a sieve; it is a brilliant, profound, silly, and sad expression of the need to leave the security of the known world and experience the wonder and danger of the unknown. His other most notable work is The Owl and the Pussy Cat, a less complex poem whose title characters also go to sea. Lear produced humorous alphabets and botany books as well.
  His wordplay, involving puns, neologisms, portmanteau words, and anticlimax, retains its vitality today and has influenced such contemporary writers of children's nonsense verse as Shel Silverstein, Ogden Nash, and Laura Richards.
  
  
  Subject:
  Children's poetry, American
  English poetry
• 
  Gustavus Cliffe

  My almost 3 year old loooooves this book. It's the perfect thing to encourage rhyming (which helps teach phonics sounds!)
• 
  Becky B

  Edward Lear wrote this rhyming, somewhat nonsensical alphabet poem in the 1800s. Suse MacDonald has added some colorful illustrations in a style similar to Eric Carle that make the rhymes come to life. Kids should love the fun rhymes for each animal or object. Obviously, it is a fun book to use for learning the alphabet. Teachers could also use this when studying rhyming sounds or it could be used as a model for students to write their own rhyming poetry a'la Lear (just be careful which words are picked to rhyme so no one accidentally gets a naughty word).
• 
  Kelsi Wilkins

  This was and alphabet picture for students learning their letters and how to read. This book was fun to read. The pictures were exciting and the colors were bright. The words were also sort of a tongue twister, the students must take their time and read slow to make sure they say each word. Having partner with this book will also help students learn. The younger students will need help with pronouncing some words but they can still learn the letters. The older students will know the letters but have to practice the words. This book is good for student’s k-5. I would recommend this book.