The wedding of the quite content queen ant and her faithful flying ant fellow is about to begin! Unfortunately, one disaster after another is in store for the passionate pair. First, a foolish fly lets some fruit fall on the groom's head. He insists the ceremony must not cease, so, spattered in purple, the nice nuptials continue. When oatmeal cookies and orangeade are offered to all, it seems as though the day will end perfectly... until the bride has a little mishap herself. "A terrible tragedy is taking place," cry the tearful treehoppers, trembling on a twig. Will the queen--and the day--be saved and the adoring ants allowed to live happily ever after? Pamela Duncan Edwards and illustrator Henry Cole (of Livingstone Mouse and Honk!) have created a hilarious alliterative alphabet book that goes well beyond the standard ABCs. Readers of all ages will be in stitches at the ants' antics. Younger picture-book aesthetes will love the challenge of finding the hidden letter and object on each page. Lush, larger-than-life illustrations of jungle-like grasses and leaves, and the giant yet subtle soda-pop can that provides orangeade drops, remind readers of the complex and complete world that usually goes unnoticed at their feet. (Ages 4 to 7) --Emilie Coulter

From Publishers Weekly
A queen ant and her winged groom head for the altar in this buggyAthough not particularly wackyAalphabet. The nuptials take place on the verdant and damp forest floor, the bride and groom thronged by a peaceable kingdom of butterflies, bees, birds and a mole. Alliterative sentences convey the plot; for the letter L, "a ladybug laughed. 'They've loved each other since they were larvae.' " The wedding is not without incident, for the bride falls into a puddle at the letter Q: " 'Quick!' squealed the quails. 'Quiet down! Quit quivering and quaking and help the Queen.' " Fortunately, the letter-V velvet ant effects a rescue, and at the end of the alphabet and the eventful day, "Zebra swallowtails on their zithers strummed a lazy tune... as drowsily the ants zigzagged home." The team behind Dinorella makes a lively game of the volume. Edwards shows how a key letter may appear at the start of or within a word; Cole hides the specified letter, and an object beginning with that letter, in each image. Unfortunately, there is no key to the visual puzzles, which sometimes prove obscure due to the complex details. Attendance at this event isn't mandatory, but a good time may be had. Ages 4-7. (June) Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From School Library Journal
Grade 1-3An alphabet tale of an elaborate ant wedding. As the guests, who range from army ants to zebra swallowtails, arrive and the festivities proceed, elegance soon gives way to slapstick. The wedding cake is dropped, the groom is knocked down by falling fruit, and the bride falls into a puddle and almost drowns. All ends happily as fireflies light up the night sky. The story line is lively and sometimes silly with lots of madcap antics and rich alliteration, such as Tearful treehoppers trembled on a twig. One particularly memorable line notes that the bride and groom have loved each other since they were larvae. The zestful, colorful, and dynamic artwork, done with colored pencil and acrylic, captures the spirit of the story. The pictures will catapult readers into an insects-eye view of the world, even if some of these bugs have rather unorthodox appearances (fire ants in firefighter outfits and army ants in camouflage). A letter is hidden in each illustration. Unfortunately, some of the text is difficult to read when it is printed on a dark-green background. Still, future entomologists with a sense of humor and lively imagination will want to join this zany celebration.Carol Schene, Taunton Public Schools, MA Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Booklist
An alliterative ant wedding sets the scene for this festive, funny alphabet book. On what should be a joyous day, disaster reigns: the cake is dropped (though reerected by earthworms); the groom is felled by a blackberry dropped by a careless fruit fly; and the bride falls into a puddle, resulting in a rescue attempt of Titanic proportions. This book is lots of fun to read aloud, with tongue-tickling alliteration and absurdly humorous scenarios. Cole's illustrations are delightful, lushly detailed and hued, portraying an array of bugs in witty human poses and situations. Though similar visually and structurally to the popular Miss Spider's ABC (1998), this book features more complex sentences, vocabulary, and story line, and the alliteration effectively familiarizes young ones with each letter's distinguishing sounds. For those who like visual puzzles, letters are hidden within each illustration, though some are frustratingly difficult to find. Overall, a nice classroom alphabet alternative, both fun and challenging. Shelle Rosenfeld

From Kirkus Reviews
PLB 0-7868-2248-1 Carpenter ants, drones, soldier ants, molesall play a part in Edwards's merry, alliterative alphabet book. As two ants prepare to tie the knot, they must contend with some unfortunate interruptionsa fruit fly drops some fruit on the groom, the cake gets dumped by some clumsy cleaner antsbut the wedding commences anyway until the bride takes a header into a puddle. A whirligig beetle comes to the rescue, and a honeymoon night is assured. Edwards brings a kind and good-natured aura to this book, which includes the line, ``Lounging on a leaf, a ladybug laughed. `They've loved each other since they were larvae.' '' Cole includes funny characters in the mix, and adds some clever incidentals, such as the chain of ants transporting drops of orangeade from a discarded soda can to the wedding feast. (Picture book. 4-9) -- Copyright ©1999, Kirkus Associates, LP. All rights reserved.

Card catalog description
An alphabetical ant wedding, attended by the other animals, is beset by various disasters.

FROM OUR EDITORS

The Barnes & Noble Review
Pamela Duncan Edwards and Henry Cole, the author/illustrator team who brought us Dinorella: A Prehistoric Fairy Tale, Some Smug Slug and Four Famished Foxes and Fosdyke, return with a hilarious new alliterative picture book. The Wacky Wedding is more than an entertaining tale about an ant wedding at which everything goes wrong — it's an interactive alphabet book that makes learning your ABC's fun!

"An army of ants attended a wedding, once on an April afternoon." And so begins this tale of two adoring ants who are about to get married. From "A" on the first page to "Z" on the last, the prose on each page is filled with words beginning with the same letter. The text is lively and the story quite fun. However, some of the language is rather sophisticated, and several words may be unfamiliar to younger readers (and may have to be defined by an adult who's reading along).

As preparations for the ants' wedding proceed, mishaps abound. First, the cleaner ants who "carted the colony's cake" drop it. Then, "a foolish fruit fly let[s] some fruit fall," and it almost flattens the groom. Worst of all, after the ceremony, the bride trips and falls into a puddle. When a string of soldier ants fails to save her, she's in danger of drowning...until a valiant velvet ant swims to her rescue. Thus, the story ends happily, and "zillions of fireflies set ablaze the night sky as drowsily the ants zigzagged home toward their nests."

In addition to the alliterative use of a different letter on every page, each letter of the alphabet is hidden in the illustration,andthere is an object beginning with that letter placed somewhere on that page. This will ensure close scrutiny by kids — as well as multiple readings. The Wacky Wedding is a book that can be enjoyed again and again; new discoveries constantly abound.

From its colorful, comical pictures to its lyrical, laugh-out-loud story, The Wacky Wedding is a great read-aloud and a great read-along. But no matter how it's shared with kids, it always means lots of interactive learning fun!

Reading level: Ages 4-7

—Jamie Levine

ANNOTATION

An alphabetical ant wedding, attended by the other animals, is beset by various disasters.

FROM THE PUBLISHER

When a pair of adoring ants are married, the party proceeds poorly. The cake collapses, fruit flattens the groom, and the bride blunders into a puddle. When a string of soldier ants can't even save the soppy bride, a valorous velvet ant swims to her rescue. All ends happily, of course.

FROM THE CRITICS

Publishers Weekly

A queen ant and her winged groom head for the altar in this buggy--though not particularly wacky--alphabet. The nuptials take place on the verdant and damp forest floor, the bride and groom thronged by a peaceable kingdom of butterflies, bees, birds and a mole. Alliterative sentences convey the plot; for the letter L, "a ladybug laughed. `They've loved each other since they were larvae.' " The wedding is not without incident, for the bride falls into a puddle at the letter Q: " `Quick!' squealed the quails. `Quiet down! Quit quivering and quaking and help the Queen.' " Fortunately, the letter-V velvet ant effects a rescue, and at the end of the alphabet and the eventful day, "Zebra swallowtails on their zithers strummed a lazy tune... as drowsily the ants zigzagged home." The team behind Dinorella makes a lively game of the volume. Edwards shows how a key letter may appear at the start of or within a word; Cole hides the specified letter, and an object beginning with that letter, in each image. Unfortunately, there is no key to the visual puzzles, which sometimes prove obscure due to the complex details. Attendance at this event isn't mandatory, but a good time may be had. Ages 4-7. (June) Copyright 1999 Cahners Business Information.

Children's Literature - Marilyn Courtot

The team that brought kids Five Famished Foxes and Fosdyke, and Some Smug Slug are at it again. This time it is an alliterative alphabet book that tells the story of an ant wedding. Nothing seems to go smoothly. The cake is dropped, a foolish fruit fly let some fruit fall and the groom is knocked to the ground, the bride trips in a puddle, but never fear it all ends well as this madcap wedding party wrecks havoc with the alphabet. Cole's drawing are truly amusing with plenty of humorous extra touches such as the red fire ants dressed as firemen and a soldier ant with helmet. He has also hidden letters of the alphabet in each scene.

School Library Journal

Gr 1-3An alphabet tale of an elaborate ant wedding. As the guests, who range from army ants to zebra swallowtails, arrive and the festivities proceed, elegance soon gives way to slapstick. The wedding cake is dropped, the groom is knocked down by falling fruit, and the bride falls into a puddle and almost drowns. All ends happily as fireflies light up the night sky. The story line is lively and sometimes silly with lots of madcap antics and rich alliteration, such as Tearful treehoppers trembled on a twig. One particularly memorable line notes that the bride and groom have loved each other since they were larvae. The zestful, colorful, and dynamic artwork, done with colored pencil and acrylic, captures the spirit of the story. The pictures will catapult readers into an insects-eye view of the world, even if some of these bugs have rather unorthodox appearances (fire ants in firefighter outfits and army ants in camouflage). A letter is hidden in each illustration. Unfortunately, some of the text is difficult to read when it is printed on a dark-green background. Still, future entomologists with a sense of humor and lively imagination will want to join this zany celebration.Carol Schene, Taunton Public Schools, MA Copyright 1999 Cahners Business Information.

Kirkus Reviews

Carpenter ants, drones, soldier ants, moles—all play a part in Edwards's merry, alliterative alphabet book. As two ants prepare to tie the knot, they must contend with some unfortunate interruptions—a fruit fly drops some fruit on the groom, the cake gets dumped by some clumsy cleaner ants—but the wedding commences anyway until the bride takes a header into a puddle. A whirligig beetle comes to the rescue, and a honeymoon night is assured. Edwards brings a kind and good-natured aura to this book, which includes the line, "Lounging on a leaf, a ladybug laughed. `They've loved each other since they were larvae.'Ê" Cole includes funny characters in the mix, and adds some clever incidentals, such as the chain of ants transporting drops of orangeade from a discarded soda can to the wedding feast. (Picture book. 4-9)