AlphaBest: The Zany, Zanier, Zaniest Book About Comparatives and Superlatives

A pint-size superhero and a villain do battle through an amusement park in this alphabetical exploration of comparatives and superlatives. Both opponents suffer slapstick pratfalls as they race around the park: the hero gets covered in eggs, stuffed animal fluff, and green goo—demonstrating “eggy, eggier, eggiest,” “fuzzy, fuzzier, fuzziest,” and “slimy, slimier, slimiest.” While Whamond’s illustrations have a strong sense of comedy, the idea of escalation isn’t always clear (is laughing at someone else’s misfortune really “ruder” than shoving a small girl in the face?). Closing notes offer grammatical tips for creating comparatives and superlatives, though no explanation is given for the lack of such forms for “unique” on the U spread. Ages 4–8. (Sept.)