Zip Zap Wickety Wack: A Story about Sharing

By Matthew Diffee

New Yorker cartoonist Matthew Diffee makes his children's book debut with this laugh-out-loud twist on the classic animal sound book.

The cow says "moo." The horse says "neigh." Everyone can agree on these.

But when the sheep says "baa," the goat cuts in. The goat also says "baa." Now what? No one wants to share their sound

The sheep has an idea--he'll just say something no one's ever said before: "zip zap wickety wack bing bang walla balla flip flap yackety yack." But an otherworldly visitor shows up to lay claim to this sound, too--and the alien doesn't want to share his identity either.

When the alien proposes a radical new way forward, the sheep and the goat find a compromise--and it may sound familiar to adult readers . . .

New Yorker cartoonist Matthew Diffee's hilarious wit will be an immediate hit with young readers in his first picture book. Sure to inspire boisterous read-alouds and threaded with a sneaky message about sharing, Zip Zap Wickety Wack will inspire new nonsense and new values in homes, classrooms, and farmyards around the world.

A Junior Library Guild Gold Standard Selection

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0823458717
• ISBN13: 9780823458714
• Release Date: September 2025
• Publisher: Neal Porter Books
• Length: 48 Pages
• Age Range: 4 to 8 years
• Grade Range: Preschool to Grade 3