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P Is for Pterodactyl: The Worst Alphabet Book Ever Kindle Edition

by Raj Haldar (Author), Chris Carpenter (Author), Maria Beddia (Illustrator) Format: Kindle Edition

4.8 10,326 ratings

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A New York Times Best Seller!

An Amazon Best Book of the Month!

A "raucous trip through the odd corners of our alphabet." —The New York Times

Let's get real—the English language is bizarre. A might be for apple, but it's also for aisle and aeons. Why does the word "gnat" start with a G but the word "knot" doesn't start with an N? It doesn't always make sense, but don't let these rule-breaking silent letters defeat you!

This whimsical, funky book from Raj Haldar (aka rapper Lushlife) turns the traditional idea of an alphabet book on its head, poking fun at the most mischievous words in the English language and demonstrating how to pronounce them. Fun and informative for word nerds of all ages!

From the Publisher

New York Times Bestseller! A "raucous trip through the odd corners of the alphabet" New York Times

Editorial Reviews

Review

"A win for word nerd kids and pun-tastic dads everywhere." ― The Dad

"Explore the many quirks and anomalies of English spelling and pronunciation in an A-to-Z tribute to some of the most unconventional words in the lexicon. Learn why Y is not for "why" and U is not for "you," but V is for "five" and C is for "czar." With this book full of puns, alliteration, playful artwork, and plenty of entertaining observations, children of all ages will enjoy celebrating the exceptions to the rules." ― Foreword Reviews, STARRED Review

"The book spotlights words that have silent letters, or weird grammar rules, and invites you to ponder dangerous word traps and oddities. And you might learn something new along the way...While other lessons teach really important principles that, honestly, could change your life and maybe even help you find love." ― Funny or Die

"A raucous trip through the odd corners of our alphabet." ― The New York Times

"Are you a logophile (someone who loves words)? If you are, this delightful picture book will be your new favorite alphabet book... In this book, ‘A is for Aisle’ and ‘H is for Heir.’ What? Below each letter and illustration is a sentence describing each word. "M is for Mnemonic. // But now Mr. M. can’t remember why." Isn’t this a delight for readers and writers of all ages? It’s my new favorite." ― Imagination Soup

"P Is for Pterodactyl" is a word lover's delight and an almost mandatory read-aloud... Amid all the humor, wordplay, and silliness, there's solid, brain-teasing information about words and how they're spelled. It a delight from start to finish, especially for word lovers and their offspring." ― Common Sense Media

"This atypical alphabet book humorously addresses "mischievous words" that ignore the rules of phonetics and spelling... Each letter's sample is illustrated with cartoony, full-color drawings followed by a comically absurd sentence highlighting other examples. "G is for Gnocchi. / The gnome yells, ‘Waiter! There's a bright white gnat nibbling on my gnocchi!' ...the concept will help new readers and new English language learners conquer some of the more peculiar aspects of our language." ― Kirkus Reviews

About the Author

Raj Haldar is the author of the #1 New York Times Bestselling picture book, P is for Pterodactyl: The Worst Alphabet Book Ever. But, for close to a decade, he has been better known as Lushlife, the rapper, producer, and multi-instrumentalist. In that time, he's amassed a fervent global fanbase and released award-winning viral music videos that highlight his erudite lyrics. The Sunday New York Times describes his work as “an intoxicating mix of captivating rhymes with audacious, gorgeous production.” So it should come as no surprise that Haldar has made the leap into the world of children’s literature. His latest book entitled, This Book is Banned gives young readers a lighthearted entrypoint to begin understanding the dangers of book banning and censorship. His work has been featured by The Washington Post, Interview Magazine, VICE, Pitchfork, Village Voice, Mental Floss, BBC, SPIN and more!

Raj currently lives on the Upper West Side of Manhattan with his wife and two young daughters.

Raj Haldar social media, music, books + more!

Maria Beddia is a freelance illustrator, muralist, and textile designer based in Philadelphia.

Chris Carpenter is a software developer for a tech startup in New York.

Product details

ASIN ‏ : ‎ B07Y437TK1
Publisher ‏ : ‎ Sourcebooks Explore (November 13, 2018)
Publication date ‏ : ‎ November 13, 2018
Language ‏ : ‎ English
File size ‏ : ‎ 5524 KB
Text-to-Speech ‏ : ‎ Not enabled
Enhanced typesetting ‏ : ‎ Not Enabled
X-Ray ‏ : ‎ Not Enabled
Word Wise ‏ : ‎ Not Enabled
Sticky notes ‏ : ‎ Not Enabled
Print length ‏ : ‎ 40 pages

Best Sellers Rank: #91,131 in Kindle Store (See Top 100 in Kindle Store)
- #8 in Children's Vocabulary & Spelling
- #107 in Children's Humor Books
- #177 in Children's General Humor Books

Customer Reviews:
4.8 10,326 ratings

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Chris Carpenter
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Raj Haldar
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Raj Haldar is the author of the #1 New York Times Bestselling picture book, 'P is for Pterodactyl: The Worst Alphabet Book Ever.' But, for close to a decade, the Philadelphia based rapper, producer, and multi-instrumentalist has been better known for his critically-praised music under the moniker Lushlife.
In that time he has amassed a fervent global fanbase across the world and released award-winning viral music videos that highlight his erudite lyrics. The Sunday New York Times describes his work as “an intoxicating mix of captivating rhymes with audacious, gorgeous production.” So it should come as no surprise that Haldar is making the leap into the world of children’s literature.
His work has been featured by The Washington Post, Interview Magazine, VICE, Pitchfork, Village Voice, Mental Floss, BBC, SPIN and more.
See more on the author's page

Customer reviews

4.8 out of 5

10,326 global ratings

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Mary Rehberg

This book is great

Reviewed in the United States on April 13, 2024

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I like the images, the book is both clever & funny, and it will amuse everybody in the room, not just the little peeps.

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LR66b

Proof that phonics instruction alone is not enough!

Reviewed in the United States on May 1, 2024

Verified Purchase

I picked up this book as an end of semester thank you gift for my professor. I think P is for Pterodactyl is a tounge in cheek alphabet book that was the perfect thing to present to a teacher of literacy. This is a must have companion to other alphabet books. When people ask, "What about phonics instruction?" This book shows why phonics is not enough. It is simply one small part of literacy instruction. Funny, unconventional, and irreverent, you'll laugh and nod along as you read from A-Z! Very nicely priced too, about what you might spend on a high quality greeting card, but this is something that really has staying power. Plus, it can be used in the college classroom as an example of the importance of a multi-faceted approach to literacy instruction.

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Amazon Customer

Hilarious and very clever

Reviewed in the United States on February 24, 2024

Verified Purchase

My niece has this for her eldest, loved it and bought it for a colleague’s nephew. Big hit with him. It’s a wonderful introduction to the fun complexities of English, with great illustrations. And educational too, of course, but it’s really more about FUN and silliness. Highly recommended for people growing up speaking English, might be a challenge for others.

Reviewed in the United States on March 3, 2024

Verified Purchase

Saw this at someone's house and knew the premise, but it's such a great book. Having an 8 year old read it is quite entertaining and I of course learned a thing or two. This is great for kids, teens, and big people too!

One person found this helpful

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Tristan Selle

Fun to read

Reviewed in the United States on April 27, 2024

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I loved this book. Now whenever someone needs my name spelled out over the phone I will be using these letters.

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Mary-Ashley Couch

Love the premise but not the page for O.

Reviewed in the United States on May 3, 2024

Verified Purchase

I bought this as a present for my niece and nephew for Christmas and absolutely loved it! However I'm very grateful that me and my husband sat down and read it before we gifted it (we did this solely to get a laugh out of the book). I was not happy to see what was on the O page about Ouija boards as I have pictured. So I took it up on myself to make my niece and nephew a different page for O in few hours we had. I went with Otters yet didnt have enough time to succeed in figuring out plenty of O words to include. We gifted the book with the new O page that I made and I got to read it to my niece last weekend actually and my page is taped over the original O page.

So I loved the book and the idea behind it. However I hate the page they have for O and had God not gifted me with the ability to draw it would have been a pointless purchase as I would not have gifted it.

Overall I love this book but it's important to be aware that this page is included.

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Jacque Morse

Hard cover, great bok!

Reviewed in the United States on March 12, 2024

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I thought this would be soft cover for the price, local bookstore sells the hardcover for almost 3x this price! This is a funny book with great illustrations!

Reviewed in the United States on January 21, 2024

Verified Purchase

This book the first time I saw it was a gag gift as it made me laugh as one of the worst Alphebet books. There are word in there that even I needed to look up on how to pronouce. Thankfully the back of the book has a guide on how to pronouce things. My son still asks me to read this after a couple of years of us having this book. It is just a great way to learn the alphabet without the standard easy words.

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