The Alphabet From Z to A

by Judith Viorst, Richard Hull (Illustrator)

In The Alphabet from Z to A (With Much Confusion on the Way), Judith Viorst once again applies her clear-sighted wit to a subject of universal appeal, turning the traditional alphabet book on its head by going through the alphabet backwards. Viorst's lively verse irreverently demonstrates that the spellings and sounds of our language are often so maddeningly inconsistent -- "blue" and "blew," "chute" and "shoe" -- that, as her exasperated narrator complains, "It could drive you berserk." Aimed at children who already have some facility with language (and at anyone else who likes to play with words), The Alphabet from Z to A is an entertaining and thought-provoking romp through the quirks and quagmires of the English language. Richard Hull's exquisite drawings enrich the text and offer a playful challenge.

Genres: Picture Books, Childrens

32 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1994

About the author

Judith Viorst is an American writer, newspaper journalist, and psychoanalysis researcher. She is known for her humorous observational poetry and for her children's literature. This includes The Tenth Good Thing About Barney (about the death of a pet) and the Alexander series of short picture books, which includes Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day (1972), which has sold over two million copies.
Viorst is a 1952 graduate of the Newark College of Arts and Sciences at Rutgers University in Newark, New Jersey. In 1968, she signed the "Writers and Editors War Tax Protest" pledge, vowing to refuse tax payments in protest against the Vietnam War. In the latter part of the 1970s, after two decades of writing for children and adults, Viorst turned to the study of Freudian psychology. In 1981, she became a research graduate at Washington Psychoanalytic Institute after six years of study.

Reviews

[Andrew]

It’s a fun book, but maybe only fun for older children and adults prepared to appreciate how absurd the English language is.

[Rachel]

Not my favorite Alphabet book but I liked the use of homonyms

[EstherCW]

3.5

[Alex]

1. No awards
2. Second grade
3. The way words work can be confusing, as is hilariously pointed out by this reversed look at the alphabet intended for children who already have a good grasp on their letters. It pays special attention to words children commonly encounter that don't follow the normal rules of "sounding it out" when it comes to their spelling, like "xylophone," and different words that are spelled different but sound the same, like "bough, bow, blew, blue," for a hilarious take on acknowledgement of how learning the English language.
4. This book is hilarious. It is obviously meant for children who have already learned their letters, but maybe still need a bit of help in the spelling department. It is written by the same woman that wrote Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day and it shows in the humor and wit of the book. Learning to spell and read can be hard, and the English language with all its quirks doesn't make it easy. This book takes that concept and has fun with it.
5. If the class as a whole (or some of the students at least) are having trouble with spelling, this book could be used to help both encourage them and help them not be too disheartened by it that they lose confidence and stop trying. If doing a unit about looking at things a different way, this book could also be used, perhaps as an introduction, since it approaches the alphabet backwards.

[Amanda]

This book was suggested by an online forum of moms and it is really neat, however not the best for a few reasons. Mostly I can't get over how it seems like sometimes it's supposed to rhyme and most times it doesn't. It's formatted and written like poetry, but the cadence just doesn't seem to work or it's not easy to pick up on. The illustrations are small, but exquisite. I immediately thought of those of Graeme Base and Mike Wilk's Ultimate Alphabet. They were a little too detailed for my 3 1/2 yr old, so unfortunately the words had to do. There are a lot of heterographs (I had to look that up, but words spelled differently, but sound the same ie where and wear). This would be great for an older child learning to spell, but a little much for my preschooler. I may use it again when he's older, but hopefully I'll be able to figure out the rhyming by then to make it more fun and easy to read and listen to.

[Jen Garrett]

I absolutely loved this book! It's for older children to be sure, because its playful complaining tone would be lost on young children who are not already familiar with the crazy way many words are spelled and pronounced. Fourth or Fifth graders, however, will groan and laugh along with the narrator when they see many of the words that appear on their spelling lists, and a few more they have to look forward to.

If you don't love the quirkiness of the English language, then you won't love this book. But I did, and so did my preteen kids.

But be warned... this book invites the inquisitive to ask, "Why?"

The answer, of course, is that our very language has a rich and varied history borrowing words from many cultures and dialects.

[Jeannie]

I LOVE books that point out things I've always noticed, but couldn't quite put words to. This is a clever book about some of the many confusing things in our English language and alphabet. Judith Viorst is a favorite!

[Millie Simonds]

I did not really enjoy this book. It incorporates more than one letter on each page and I feel that it would be difficult for children learning their letters. I probably would not use this book in my class but if I did, I would read it and then have students color letters of the alphabet.

[Jasmine Bowman]

I did not really enjoy this book. It incorporates more than one letter on each page and I feel that it would be difficult for children learning their letters. I probably would not use this book in my class but if I did, I would read it and then have students color letters of the alphabet.

[Dolly]

This one is more for older children and adults. It's humorous, but a little difficult to explain to kids who don't read yet or are just beginning to read.

[Mary]

inventive. wonderfully detailed illustrations.

[Marilyn]

Judith Viorst takes the alphabet backwards and pokes fun at our language and spelling practices. So for example, "Z is for Zip Zap and Zero, but not Xylophone (why not?)". Really fun/clever.

[Nancy]

Although this promised to be an alphabet book with a new perspective, other than presenting the ABCs backwards, I didn’t find anything particularly original about it.

[Kim]

Features: Beginning sounds, homophones, the irregularities of English spelling

[Stacy]

A cute alphabet read aloud book, especially for those who are vexed with the English language's wacky spellings.

[Kelly]

It was a neat alphabet book with the added bonus of finding items related to the corresponding letter in the detailed illustrations. Even better is a list in the back of the book with the answers.

[Rebecca Jones]

This is a good book for a fifth grade classroom and allows them to experience the unique way of the English language.