The magic of letters

Plenty of books celebrate the power and fun of words. Johnston and Minor, the team behind Cat, What Is That?, seek to remind readers that without letters, there wouldn't be any words. Because letters can be arranged in seemingly endless combinations, everyone has a distinctive name-a point that one spread drives home in a dialogue balloon filled with line after line of names in a typographic celebration of individuality. Letters make possible words that tickle brains and tongues: "The flibbertigibbet ate an enchanted quesadilla and became an acrobat, who slipped on a trout." Most importantly, letters unlock all the possibilities of reading and writing. The book doesn't entirely fulfill its promise that "letters hold magic. When you know their secrets, they open worlds"; beyond telling readers that "each letter has a name, wonderful and strange" the creators jump quickly to full-blown words without focusing on the letters' distinctive looks and sounds. But the text is heartfelt, and Minor's sketchbook-style illustrations have an immediacy and energy that will make readers feel that they're peering over his shoulder as the drawings take shape. Ages 4-8. (Apr.) © Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.

PreS-Gr 1-A jaunty rabbit in a top hat guides readers through the world of letters in this enthusiastic new picture book. Letters have great power, readers learn, with the ability to form mighty words. Words can be slippery like trout, or limber like an acrobat. Some letters even form brand-new words, like swinkle! Words can then be strung together to form stories, like, "Carrots love dirt." Accompanied by Minor's mix of loose, light, and lively graphite drawings and colorful collage, Johnston's text adeptly conveys enchantment. While entertaining, the narrative occasionally becomes so whimsical that it begins to lack meaning ("Noodles are quiet but they think deep thoughts") and distract readers from the overall message of the importance of letters and words. VERDICT A fanciful and enthusiastic romp through Letterville that could spark a love of reading and writing in some children. Best for one-on-one sharing.-Laura Lintz, Henrietta Public Library, Rochester, NY © Copyright 2019. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

An exuberant narrator explains what letters are ("Each letter has a name, wonderful and strange") and how they're used ("You can shuffle them around to make loads of mighty words"). Johnston furnishes scads of examples--"Roll them in your mouth like lollipops. / Clunk. Acrobat. Trout. Quesadilla. Flibbertigibbet"--that Minor brings to lyrical life in animal-studded fantastical scenes. (c) Copyright 2019. The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

Journey through a land where words take flight and spark creativity.A fantastical bespectacled rabbit is readers' guide into a top hat and through Johnston and Minor's wonderland of words as they celebrate the power of language to instruct, inspire, and delight children. The journey, which begins and ends on the dust cover, is reminiscent of Lewis Carroll's classic topsy-turvy adventure, complete with a rabbit magician whose adeptness with wordplay prompts it to take a bow at the end. "Letters hold POWER," it says, before going on to celebrate "giggling words like flibbertigibbet. Yummy words like QUESADILLA [and] bewitching words like enchanted." Put together, "they say what you need to tell somebody. The flibbertigibbet ate an enchanted quesadilla,' " for instance. The illustrations, which range from a scene done in a collage style incorporating cutout words to a blue, fairy-filled dreamscape, capture the sense of wonder that the story wishes to covey. The design makes clever use of the double-page spread to convey a child's joy at recognizing their name in print and the power of words to literally make imaginations soar. Given the sophistication of some of the words in the story, it is best read with slightly older kindergarteners. While the rabbit is firmly established in the narrative, the two children, one black and one white, who occasionally appear in the illustrations feel less connected to the text.A charming ode to the lyricism of language. (Picture book. 4-8) Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.

Plenty of books celebrate the power and fun of words. Johnston and Minor, the team behind Cat, What Is That?, seek to remind readers that without letters, there wouldn't be any words. Because letters can be arranged in seemingly endless combinations, everyone has a distinctive name—a point that one spread drives home in a dialogue balloon filled with line after line of names in a typographic celebration of individuality. Letters make possible words that tickle brains and tongues: "The flibbertigibbet ate an enchanted quesadilla and became an acrobat, who slipped on a trout." Most importantly, letters unlock all the possibilities of reading and writing. The book doesn't entirely fulfill its promise that "letters hold magic. When you know their secrets, they open worlds"; beyond telling readers that "each letter has a name, wonderful and strange" the creators jump quickly to full-blown words without focusing on the letters' distinctive looks and sounds. But the text is heartfelt, and Minor's sketchbook-style illustrations have an immediacy and energy that will make readers feel that they're peering over his shoulder as the drawings take shape. Ages 4–8. (Apr.)

PreS-Gr 1—A jaunty rabbit in a top hat guides readers through the world of letters in this enthusiastic new picture book. Letters have great power, readers learn, with the ability to form mighty words. Words can be slippery like trout, or limber like an acrobat. Some letters even form brand-new words, like swinkle! Words can then be strung together to form stories, like, "Carrots love dirt." Accompanied by Minor's mix of loose, light, and lively graphite drawings and colorful collage, Johnston's text adeptly conveys enchantment. While entertaining, the narrative occasionally becomes so whimsical that it begins to lack meaning ("Noodles are quiet but they think deep thoughts") and distract readers from the overall message of the importance of letters and words. VERDICT A fanciful and enthusiastic romp through Letterville that could spark a love of reading and writing in some children. Best for one-on-one sharing.—Laura Lintz, Henrietta Public Library, Rochester, NY