The Alphabet's Alphabet

by Chris Harris, Dan Santat (Illustrator)

Here's a totally twisted take on the alphabet that invites readers to look at it in a whole new way: An A is an H that just won't stand up right, a B is a D with its belt on too tight, and a Z is an L in a tug-of-war fight! Twenty-six letters, unique from each other -- and yet, every letter looks just like one another! Kind of like...one big family.

Genres: Picture Books, Humor, Childrens, Fiction, 1st Grade, Art, Storytime

48 pages, Hardcover

First published September 29, 2020

Reviews

[Ms. B · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.25 stars, I loved it, what a fun take on the 'classic' alphabet book! There's a a lot of humor and laughs in this one. I cannot wait to see if kids love it as much as me.
Fans of Dan Santat and picture books with humor will want to check this one out.

[La Coccinelle · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Alphabet's Alphabet has a unique premise: the letters of the alphabet are kind of like one big family... and all of them resemble someone else in the family tree! Well, except for S (but I'm still impressed that the author was able to come up with 25 doppelgängers).

This is an alphabet book for slightly older kids. The amusing illustrations show this family of letters and their similarities. There's even a code to break at the end (that I spent way too much time on, but what can I say? I'm a puzzle geek). The text rhymes, and it's quite well done.

I don't know if I'd recommend this to kids who are still just learning their letters, but I would recommend it to older readers who can appreciate the similarities of the letters.

Quotable moment:

[Paula Phillips · Rating 3 out of 5]

Deciding to clear my Kindle and books I had been sent, I was in the mood for something quick to read and lately, I have been busy clearing the picture books that I have been sent to read and review. This cute one is set at Alphabet school where each of the letters attends and shows that even though we are all unique and different in the ways that we can also connect - for example - a T is an I with a hat on it, etc. I thought this was an awesome way to not only teach your children the alphabet but also an easy way to teach them how to form their letters as quite a few children struggle when forming their letters, even more so now that we live in a digital world. The illustrations were also very bright and colorful and fun at the same time. This book is perfect for children aged 4 - 8 years old.

[Lindsi (Do You Dog-ear?) · Rating 4 out of 5]

I received an ARC from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. My thoughts and opinions are my own. Any quotes I use are from an unpublished copy and may not reflect the finished product.

The Alphabet's Alphabet was an enjoyable read, although the letter comparisons did take some getting used to! I'm not sure if it was the wording or the illustrations themselves, but I had to repeatedly tell myself that it was actually this letter that only looked like that letter. Was that confusing? Let me show you an example and try to better explain myself!

*please see original blog post for image

The book starts at the beginning of the Alphabet... sort of. An A is actually an H; a B is really a D. It makes sense, but for some reason my brain kept trying to twist them around! I think that's what the author and illustrator were trying to do? Make people see something that wasn't really there, like an optical illusion? If that was what they were trying to do, it was really well done! I also think the kids enjoyed the mental gymnastics. I was verbally telling them one thing, while their eyes showed them something else. We had to stop and talk about each page before moving on, which did make this a slower read, but we didn't mind! I love when books really grab their attention and hold it - - challenging their brains is a bonus!

If you like books with a unique concept, definitely check out The Alphabet's Alphabet. I'm 31-years old and still struggled to immediately make sense of each page! I'm sure this is a book we will re-read many times, so maybe the repetition will make the letters easier to identify in the future. ;)

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[Gmr · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was an uber fun rhyming picture book that will not only help kiddos out with learning their ABCs in a fun new way, but also goes a long way in reminding us that at heart, where it really counts, we are really all the same. We may look different at first glance, have different interests, likes, dislikes, beliefs, and attractions...but we all share one thing. We all belong to the same race...the HUMAN race. Our differences are something to be celebrated because that celebration lifts up another human being who deserves that recognition, who is worthy of that praise, that moment, that time in the spotlight, but in the end, it really elevates us all. I love how this concept was illustrated so wonderfully throughout the story...as you can see above...with gorgeous full color displays and humor, but it just goes to connect the worded message visually so that it sticks even more.

All in all, a great read for the tykes, but also a great reminder for us all in these times, or any times really.


**copy received for review; opinions are my own

[Abby Johnson]

This is a fun ABC book for the elementary school set, perfect for kids who are already very comfortable and familiar with letters and who like wordplay and design. In each illustration, the author and illustrator imagine a letter that looks like another letter. Most of them are super clever "A B is a D with its belt on too tight" and some are a little bit of a stretch "An R is a K with a mask where its face is", but all in all this book is great fun. I think kids will definitely get a kick out of it and it could inspire them to imagine their own alphabet relations and play around with art.

[Haines Eason · Rating 3 out of 5]

Equally charming and trite, this book’s premise is that the letters of the alphabet are a family and each letter in its known form really borrows much from similar letters - “a P is a B on a diet,” for instance. This is a fun idea but many of the vignettes are a stretch and the bookending prose rhymes too loudly for this reader. Probably worth keeping on hand for helping make the alphabet all the more memorable to a young reader, but not a classic.

[Lagobond · Rating 4 out of 5]

This review contains a warning, see below!

Chris Harris plays with language on a whole 'nother level, as he has shown with his fabulous poetry book I'm Just No Good at Rhyming: And Other Nonsense for Mischievous Kids and Immature Grown-Ups.

The Alphabet's Alphabet is another super clever title, but I believe that it is likely to miss its target audience, much like its relative, Explosion at the Poem Factory. Here's why: The Alphabet's Alphabet looks like it is written for little kids, and indeed I found it in my library's children's picture books section, with all the other books that are meant to be read out loud to small children -- but that is not who it was written for. In order to "get" the quite sophisticated letter comparisons, and make sense of the clever illustrations and humor, the reader needs to be reasonably comfortable with the alphabet already. I would also argue that one needs quite a bit of abstract spatial awareness to comprehend the letter metamorphoses. And there's so much going on in the illustrations that the book fails as a read-aloud book: you really need to take your time with each page, which messes up the timing and rhymes of the main text. I'm confident that this would go over the average preschooler's head. For all these reasons, the book is best suited for kids in the upper elementary to lower middle school range -- and they are pretty much guaranteed to pass it up just based on its "childish" appearance.

I would NOT recommend this for younger kids who can't read yet, because it will bore them to death. And (Major Caveat From a Reading Tutor:) I especially would NOT recommend it for kids who are just learning to read and write. For anyone who is still working on their letters, and particularly if your child has dyslexia/dysgraphia or issues with attention & focus, I would strongly recommend against this book, because it is likely to turn the alphabet into a great big indecipherable mess in the mind of anyone who is not already 100% comfortable with their letter shapes.

Now that that's out of the way, I'd like to say that I love this book, and that I hope it will somehow make it onto the radar of the audience it is intended for. It is playful, inventive, and amusing. It gets you to look at the alphabet in a whole new light. I had a lot of fun deciphering the secret message at the end (I did it all in my head!), and I can just see a 4th grader getting seriously into secret spy messages because of this book. Quite fun.

[Rajiv · Rating 5 out of 5]

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This is an awesome children’s book which anyone can enjoy!

As an adult, I thought this book was so creative in the way it compared the letters with one another. Generally in such books, the letters follow a specific theme to a word or a setting. However, in this book, the author stands out and twist the letters and compares it with other letters. Moreover, I just laughed out loud with the letter “S” (I guess it is a tough one to compare with others isn’t it?). Moreover, the quote from each page rhymes with the next page, which makes the story so much fun!

Similarly, the illustrations by Dan Santat are gorgeous and adorable. Altogether, the reader is in for a treat with the breathtaking colors, as the letters walk across the desert, to skiing in the slopes. My favorite letters was F stretching and H in a pair of stilts. Indeed, their experiences are adorable and hilarious. Moreover, each page is a visual treat for the eyes that will hold the attention of the young one.

This is definitely one a book that any pre – schooler would enjoy. I think this is a perfect book to use for them to compare the letters with one another and help them remember it better. I hope the team does another book for just numbers too as that would be interesting. Overall, this is a perfect book to gift a young child.

[BreeAnn (She Just Loves Books) · Rating 5 out of 5]

What an absolutely imaginative story for kids! This book not only helps children learn letters, but it gives them a chance to use their imagination as they see letters in a different way! I loved this book!

The book starts in a classroom for letters. The teacher wants to let the letters know that even though they look different, they really are all connected. We go through the alphabet from A to Z, and the story shows us how an A is really an H that is slouching or an F is an E on a ski. Each letter’s link to another letter is extremely imaginative!

I really loved the illustrations in this book. They created the connection to the letters and helped my kids to see the connections. Each page was bright and colorful and filled with creative ways to show these letters!

Overall, I thought this was a wonderful children’s book. It’s fun, and it really provided a chance for us to stop and talk about each letter. With great illustrations to support the story, it’s a 5-star for me!

To Read or Not To Read:
I would recommend The Alphabet’s Alphabet for any child from preschool to early elementary!

I was provided a gifted copy of this book for free. I am leaving my review voluntarily.

My full review of this book will post to my blog on 10/6/20. All of my children's reviews can be found at https://shejustlovesbooks.com/all-chi...

[Deb (Readerbuzz) Nance · Rating 4 out of 5]

Give me a quirky book, and I will be happy. This is a quirky book. Chris Harris reveals how all the letters of the alphabet (well, every letter except "S," which doesn't follow the crowd) is really just another letter in slightly altered form....

"An A is an H that just won't stand up right.
A B is a D with its belt on too tight."

Great fun, I think, with lots of humor built into the speech bubble asides in the illustrations.

[Andrew · Rating 5 out of 5]

This just might be one of the most creative alphabet books I've ever seen. The letters can look a lot alike depending on what they're doing! If an H were to slouch, it can become an A when its arms come together! The rhymes and situations are so wonderfully random, and Santat's illustrations are top-notch, as always. The Alphabet's Alphabet is sure to be a hit with both readers young and old!

[Vellanorah · Rating 3 out of 5]

A bit confusing for the age group. Although cute, I don't love it.

[Linda · Rating 5 out of 5]

Cute! Definitely thinking outside the box for this alphabet rendering in which each letter has an alter ego. All done in rhyme.

[Kelly · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fun book. Makes you consider letters for something they might not necessarily be.

[Mehsi · Rating 5 out of 5]

I received this book from the tour host in exchange of an honest review.

I just love books about alphabets. It is always fun to see how people make the alphabet fun and new and how they learn kids their A,B,Cs. I have seen all sorts of books, from fruits to jobs. I just love how creative everyone is with the alphabet and that there are tons of books for kids (and parents) to pick from. And I do hope that this book, and other English books about alphabets, will get translated to Dutch one day.

In this one we see how all the letters, from A to Z, can look like each other. How that works? Well, for instance, let’s pick the first example. The A does look like an H but instead of being straight his upper parts are pointing together. C an indeed be a G if you leave the beard/moustache on. And so we see how each letter in the alphabet looks like another letter (well, OK, almost all letters). Some I didn’t even think were related in a way, but the author and illustrator have me convinced now. I had a big giggle while reading this book. Well, a giggle? At times it was just a full blown laugh. Because this book was delightfully silly and fun.

I loved seeing each image and see not just why the letter is different, but also get a scene along with it. We see B walking out of the fitting room, F is doing fitness. I hope this makes sense. My head is not OK on this late September day.

I definitely want to show this one to my hubby because I know he will also be laughing.

The art was, as expected, fantastic. Dan Santat did it again. I just love his art style.

All in all, this is a fun educational book with tons of laughter and giggles with a a delightful ending that fitted so well. I also love the coded message at the end. Oh, and I definitely approve of the begin and end pages of the book which show you how to write the letters. Big pluspoint! Not only can the kids learn about the letters in a reading way, but also in a writing way. Recommended to all.

Review first posted at https://twirlingbookprincess.com/

[Peace_Love_Reading · Rating 4 out of 5]

Super cute ! I’ve always loved kids books that have alphabet letters that either talk or represent something . We really enjoyed this book.

[Stephanie Bange · Rating 4 out of 5]

Readers will realize that this is not your usual alphabet book when looking at the endsheets of this book. Each letter is shown in capital form, in a different font, and has a personality of its own.

Pairing letters of the alphabet, this A-Z book points out how all of the letters - except "S" - has a letter that looks very similar. Written in the form of rhyming couplets, this anthropomorphic romp is full of funny comparisons and interplay between the letters. Harris' text reads aloud smoothly.

It is the details found in the illustrations created in Photoshop by Dan Santat that will elicit belly laughs at the ridiculous action and verbal repartee found in the illustrations. Opening with the letter "H" crossing a hot desert, readers see him disheartened as he crosses exhausted and overheated, determining that "This was a huge mistake" as the top two upright lines are collapsing in to form the letter "A". Note: each letter is formed from another in the text. "C" sis a "G", "D" is an "R", etc. The brief one-page conversations between letters as one is transforming is a riot (ex. "N" is a "Z" doing push-ups for sport shows two "Z"s taking to each other: "Wow! That's 14!". Response "Keep it up and Someday you'll play for the Capitals!"

With a cheerfully colorful cast of characters, this one is a winner. A fun group book to read aloud and enjoy while learning penmanship.

Recommended for PreSchool-grade 2.

[Adelina · Rating 4 out of 5]

I don’t normally review picture books, because well - they’re picture books. Meant to be fun and read with kids, and usually not taken seriously enough to need a written review.
The Alphabet’s Alphabet however needed this. As I found myself reading this book to myself - no kid in sight (except the moody teenager who wouldn’t show appreciation for her mother reading a picture book anymore) - I found myself quietly snickering, doing my best to avoid an outright laugh out loud moment with the other adults within earshot.
This book is clever. The authors imagination and ability to see something so blatantly obvious as an L being just an X waving for help in quicksand, is astounding!

The only reason I did not give this 5 stars (because it really does deserve it), was more an issue of semantics and the order each letter is represented on the individual page. I really need to go read it again, because perhaps my brain just got too focused on the semantics at one point, and brains like to fixate like that sometimes. If anything though, I could find a private place (or better yet one of my younger more appreciative children), to read and laugh some more.

[Linda · Rating 4 out of 5]

Any book by Chris Harris and Dan Santat will be sure to be clever, creative, and oh, so entertaining! That's this new one where the underlying lesson is how everyone (everything?) is connected. But we already knew that, didn't we? This time, I think it would be such fun to read Harris's poetic text, to see if you, the reader, can imagine what he's describing. Then, take a long look at the fabulous way that Santat has illustrated it. From A to Z, this collaboration makes connections you might never know. Is it whimsey or is it real? For example, "A 'G' is a 'Q' that has started to yawn." Santat shows this sleepy 'G' nestled in bed, dim light, with a bubble that says "yawn". Or, in a barbershop, with 'V' in the chair looking a little uncertain at the barber: "A 'V' is an 'M' that just cut its long hair."
A classroom gathering, endpapers indicating letter movement, and a terrific, double-page surprise makes the book even better! It is terrific!

[Jena · Rating 4 out of 5]

he Alphabet’s Alphabet is a such a fun book for little readers and adults too! The illustrations are so bright, humorous, and perfect for the story being told.

I absolutely love the connections the author made in the story. For example, that “B is a D with a belt too tight” or that “F” is an “A” with its leg stretched up. These are such great connections that can help little readers make even more connections to each letter when learning the alphabet. Plus, there are even some jokes made throughout for older readers. I laughed at the back cover with the “i” taking a picture saying “i” on me.

This book is absolutely worth picking up for your young readers. As a mama one of a one-year-old I cannot wait to share this book with my son!

Find this review at Jotted by Jena

[Annamarie Carlson (she, her)]

The letters of the alphabet are each unique--but they have a lot of similarities too! Just like the way you might look a little like members of your family, all of the letters share some small details with other letters. After all, isn't an A just a H that couldn't stand up straight?

This is a cute book exploring shapes, lines, and letters. I wouldn't give this to a child that isn't completely confident in their ability to recognize and write letters, as the images morphing one letter into another are very likely to confuse a preschooler. I was a little disappointed with some of the examples--K felt a little hard for me wrap my head around, and S's lack of a letter buddy felt a little disappointing. Older kids may explore making the letter comparisons, and this could easily evolve into an art lesson exploring the alphabet.

[Kris · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this! Will all preschoolers "get it". Nope. This is not a learn your letters ABC book. This is perfect for wrapping up an alphabet unit towards the end of Kinder or for starting out first grade in the fall.
Save it for a center for your higher readers and achievers who need to stretch themselves as you remediate others with the classic ABC books. All I could think was getting some foam letters to squeeze a D to a B and a W into an I, Accu-cutting some letters for kids to manipulate as they cut to shave off mustaches, snipping off angles to make an A a F stretching. Art, STEM and ELA all in one!

Nit picking question, but still curious.. endpapers show letters with arrows showing how to handwrite them. I wonder if this matches how my teachers teach how to write each of these letters??

[Becky B · Rating 4 out of 5]

Have you ever noticed the similarities between certain letters? Harris and Santat challenge you to look at the alphabet letters in a whole new way.

A humorous look at the alphabet that plays with imagination and perception. This borders on optical illusions, and in a round about (and I'm not sure if it was intentional or not) way also illustrates why some people may have trouble distinguishing one letter from another. The message of the book encourages kids to look for similarities between humans just like between alphabet letters. Very creative alphabet book.

[Sarah · Rating 4 out of 5]

Think alphabet book really thinks outside the box. Focused less on sounds and more on shape, the narrator tells us a story that shows how one letter might be disguised as another. Santat's style of illustrations shows each instance really well and sneaks in some jokes in the pictures. Some of these are so outrageous and creative! I'm trying to decide if this is good for kids learning the alphabet or better for kids whose writing is already firmed up. I can see imaginative kids (like I was) really getting into the stories of each letter, and trying to make up their own.

[Cara Byrne · Rating 4 out of 5]

"Twenty-six letters, unique from each other... And yet, every letter looks just like another - The same way that we are each special creations And yet still resemble our friends and relations. In those whom we love, bits of us are reflected, Which helps to remind us that we're all connected. I'm even connected to you. (I know, wow!) The alphabet's alphabet makes it clear how." A silly and smart premise! At first, my three year old was confused, but after we ended the book, she begged for us to read it again - and again - and agin.

[skcocnaH · Rating 1 out of 5]

I was going to give this book 5 stars. Such a cute and clever concept, wonderful illustrations, nice colors, etc. But then, I got to the page where B turns into P. I hate the messaging on this page— 1. B needs to become something they’re not. 2. That B went on a diet to become P. 3. That there is a winner’s crown over their head after B gets rid of the “dreaded” belly. Seriously?!? Our kids have enough negative body imagery without having this added to it. Such a disappointment since the rest of theb book was brilliant.

[Calista · Rating 3 out of 5]

A cute book about how letters sort of look like each other. Like the letter 'D' looks like a 'B' when it's wearing a belt. Things of that nature. A 'V' looking in the water looks like an 'X'. It's fun and silly.

Dan Santat did the artwork and I can tell just from the cover. I love his work. He has a use of bright colors and his artwork has action in it. I think it was digital, not sure, but the artwork really shines. Each letter has their own personality.

It's quite comical what the letters do. I think any kid looking for something funny would enjoy this.

[Sandy Brehl · Rating 5 out of 5]

The rhymed text is clever and clips right along, requiring readers (this one, at least) to fly the through the full text and images quickly, then return page by page to examine what kinds of twists and turns the illustrator provided to expand upon and extend the originally clever insights as to how various letters of the alphabet might see themselves.
This is great example of an "alphabet book" that will work best for older readers who can appreciate the twists and turns of basic concepts.

[Natalie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved this super creative rendition of the alphabet. Harris and Santat's collaboration is amazing here. Readers get to see the abc's in a whole new light, where though uniquely different from one another, each alphabet bears some resemblance to another. Word plays coupled with the illustrations that bring the words to life make this such a fun book! I didn't know the ABC's could be so creatively presented!