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.

Not a fan of the poem itself, although the illustrations are quite well done.

I like how each letter of the alphabet was clearly displayed followed by a picture that starts with that letter. I also enjoyed the rhyming throughout the book as well. This is good for kids learning their alphabet and like to have fun with words (rhyming).

I thought this was a really cute book. I liked the rhyming and neat illustrations. I felt that some of the words were to advanced but other than that I enjoyed the book.

Such a catchy little book! A Was Once An Apple Pie uses animals, plants, pie and ink for each letter of the alphabet. I loved the rhymes and caught myself not stopping when it came to the last word on each page. I wanted to add the y to the end! The graphics are cute and colorful. There are lots of sounds and rhyming to practice.

I was never overly wild about this book, but, when my daughter was 3-4 years old it was once of her favorites.

This is a great alphabet book with lots of rhymes and repetition. Younger readers will enjoy the repetition, while older readers will enjoy the world play and made up words. Parents will enjoy the sheer silliness of this book.

This is a clever book going through the alphabet and full of nonsense words from Edward Lear. It was a really good read from my early reader as the nonsense words all rhyme making her look at the start of the word and rhyming it nicely.

Title: A was once an Apple Pie
Author: Edward Lear
Illustrator: Suse Macdonald
Genre: Alphabet book, Concept book
Theme(s): animals, alphabet, and poetry
Opening line/sentence: A was once an apple pie, pidy, widy, tidy, pity, nice insidy, apple pie.
Brief Book Summary: This book goes through the letters of the alphabet. Each verse has a different animal and short rhyme scheme that follows. The book starts with A and this is the only letter that does not have an animal but instead apple pie is used to describe the letter A. The book ends at the with a little zebra and rhyme that as follows “ zeebie, deebie, heebie, jeebie, weebie, meebie, little zebra”.
Professional Recommendation/Review #1: (Horn Books)
Scholastic/Orchard (Scholastic Trade Division) 2005.
(3) PS Adapted by Suse MacDonald. This adaptation of Lear's alphabet ditty retains most of the original verses but adds more animals and changes some unfamiliar words (e.g., Lear's urn is now a unicorn). Purists may complain, but others will enjoy this updated version of Lear's silly-sounding nonsense rhyme. MacDonald's eye-catching cut-paper illustrations are set on dramatic white space.
Professional Recommendation/Review #2: (Publishers weekly)
A was once an apple pie, / pidy/ widy/ tidy/ nice insidy/ Apple pie.” SO begins Lear’s alphabet, a beguiling collection of verses that stretch poetry, language and meaning but wisely opt for silliness instead of outright nonsense. The result is a rhythmic, lilting progression full of simple, childlike image and the illustrations are a happy match, containing hints of whimsy that complement without overpowering the playfulness of the rhymes. They have a clean crisp, yet varied design and a quietly folksy feel. Ages 2-up.
Response to Two Professional Reviews: Both reviews talk about the silliness of Lear’s rhyme schemes. I agree, this book is a great way to introduce the Alphabet to children. It takes the an original concept and adds images, animals, and words that will make a student want to flip to the next page.
Evaluation of Literary Elements: This book is clearly designed for young readers. The letters on each page are bolded to help show the book is an alphabet book. The illustrations are realistic, big and bright. All three of those attributions are what makes this a great fit for younger readers. The rhyme schemes are silly, but do not take away from learning the letters.
Consideration of Instructional Application: This book could be used in two different ways. The first way is to introduce the alphabet to young children. The other way this book could be used in schools is to teach students about rhymes schemes. Each letter has it’s own rhyme scheme in addition to being the first letter of the animal on the page.

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

1. A Was Once an Apple Pie
2. Awards: None
3. Genre: ABC book
4. No particular setting
5. This book offers two very important learning tools. The ABC's are addressed in this book by using different animals and things. Along with the ABC's rhyming is incorporated. The author takes the first word which and from there he will rhyme a series of about five to eight words. Both of these are very important concepts in the classroom. Children learn and think about words completely differently when words are involved. It opens up creativity, how to think about words, and in the future rhyming helps with spelling. This book could be good for several grade levels but I would start in preschool because it is such a good introduction to the mentioned concepts.

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