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.