A Is for Musk Ox (With a Video!)

As I’ve mentioned before (like in this post) I find traditional alphabet books to be dreadfully dull.

“Every other alphabet book starts with “A is for apple.” That’s sooo boring.” – Joseph the Musk Ox

That’s why the sidesplitting parody A Is for Musk Ox (©2012) by Erin Cabatingan and Matthew Myers was right up my alley. A self-involved musk ox works his way through the alphabet book, explaining why each letter really stands for musk ox, much to the chagrin of the no-nonsense zebra.

Some of the letters are silly, but others are more serious. There are also oodles of fascinating facts about musk oxen that add another layer of interest to the story. For instance, O is for musk ox because the Eskimos call musk oxen Omingmak, which means “the animal with skin like a beard.” Who knew?

The book includes some surprises along the way, and not every letter stands for musk ox (you won’t believe what M stands for!)

This unconventional alphabet book is best for kids who already have a strong grasp of the alphabet, and will delight kids ages 5-8.

Want to know more? Click the play button below to check out the book trailer for A Is for Musk Ox.

Tags: alphabet books, animal books, book reviews, books, humor, humor books, kids, learning, picture books, read-aloud, reading

Comments 11 Comments
Categories Ages 6-8

11 Responses to “A Is for Musk Ox (With a Video!)”

now at home mom January 14, 2013 at 9:26 am #

very good and like the video too

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- Katie January 14, 2013 at 7:43 pm #
  
  Isn’t it cute?
  
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  - now at home mom January 15, 2013 at 10:34 am #
    
    yes!, too, too cute
No Twiddle Twaddle (@Bethanyntt) January 14, 2013 at 4:51 pm #

I agree on how boring alphabet books can be. I’ve been wanting to read this book, so I’m glad to get to see a review of it. Thanks!

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- Katie January 14, 2013 at 7:43 pm #
  
  So glad I could help!
  
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Amy January 14, 2013 at 7:35 pm #

I totally agree with you–alphabet books are great until you’ve read approx. 2,000 of them! So anything different is so refreshing. We recently read a book called “Z is For Moose.” Have you read it? It sounds like a similar premise to “A is for Musk Ox.” My boys loved it. They laughed so much. I also saw another one recently called, “A is For Zebra” that focused on the last letter of each word. I think that spin is especially great for the letter X since it definitely shines as a last letter, not a first letter.

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- Katie January 14, 2013 at 7:47 pm #
  
  I haven’t read “Z is for Moose” yet, but it does sound very similar! I’ll have to check it out. I LOVE the premise of “A is for Zebra” too. That one is definitely going on my library list. I had no idea how popular alphabet parody books had become!
  
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Nina January 14, 2013 at 7:44 pm #

Thanks for the recommendation—I’ve bookmarked it for future reading

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- Katie January 14, 2013 at 7:47 pm #
  
  I’m so glad.
  
  Reply
Mom and Kiddo @What Do We Do All Day? January 15, 2013 at 11:02 am #

I’m always looking for non-boring alphabet books! Thank you for sharing your review at The Children’s Bookshelf.

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PragmaticMom January 15, 2013 at 7:24 pm #

I love the trend of comical alphabet books! So fun for kids and parents alike!

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