The Alphabet From Z to A : (With Much Confusion on the Way) (With Much Confusion on the Way)

Rating:
Summary: Unconventional verse alphabet
Review: Judith Viorst's The Alphabet from Z to A (with much confusion on the way) is a rather unconventional alphabet book in verse. Starting at the end of the alphabet and progressing forward, each letter has one page devoted to it with verses ranging from two to seven lines, in varying rhythms. The verses address the confusing idiosyncrasies of the English language, complaining about homonyms, silent letters, and other anomalies in a slyly exasperated tone:

R is for RING, RANG, and RUNG,
And yet RONG would be wrong, dear.

Q is for QUEUE, but not CUE.
And for one QUIET QUESTION:
Are we almost done?
Answer: There's sixteen more letters
Still left in this song, dear.

The verses are accompanied by Richard Hull's surreal illustrations, done in crest- and seal-like vignettes against a stark white background. Observant readers will discover all kinds of objects starting with the same letter embedded in the exquisite illustrations. (The end of the book introduces a participatory aspect in the form of a list of words to be found in the book for a game of "I Spy" with difficult vocabulary for even highly-literate adults, such as xerophyte and kyphosis. Parenthetical definitions, explanations, and humorous asides obviate the need for the dictionary for these words, as well as words children may not know, such as olive drab and arbor.) The back cover describes the book as "An alphabet book for folks who already know their ABCs." Children who are grappling with the difficulties of matching letters and sounds in English will appreciate the tone of the verses and may even develop a special fondness for the idiosyncratic nature of our quirky language.