“The Alphabet Keeper” is the story of an alphabet that has been held captive–caged and in the dark–by a mean alphabet keeper. The letters make a brave escape through an open window one day while she’s cleaning the cage. Though the alphabet keeper tries over and over to catch them, the letters outwit her by doing things like turning her plans into plants and her hedges into edges. They eventually fly to the moon (by turning a rock into a rocket and a moo into a moon), “and the alphabet keeper will never get them back.”
The alphabet keeper herself has a “Persepolis” like quality: black hair, big eyes, strong eyebrows, and a matronly knot on the top of her head. She’s a convincing captor who gets the dark ending that she deserves. In contrast, the letters are mischievous and sprightly, their counters filled with eyeballs and their stems notched with grins. They whiz and fly about with visible joy.
The word play aspect of the book is completely over Zadie’s head, but she really likes pointing out all the letters and is starting to catch on to the idea that each letter has it’s own sound. I can imagine this book being fun as a kid is learning to read and maybe even more fun once she’s ready for word games.
Tags: 18 months +, learn to read
