The Olphabet: "O" No! An Alphabet Revolt

by Jess M. Brallier, Nichola Cowdery (Illustrator)

Overview

The letter "O" wants a new spot in the alphabet. A story told by "O" helps little ones identify and remember the order of letters in the alphabet.  The letter "O" has had it with always being in the middle! So she imagines moving, instead, to the head of the line. Enough with the alphabet—they'll call it the olphabet! While being first has its obvious perks, "O" begins to realize that much would also be lost, including friends. After going from "A" to "Z," "O" will find the right place to be.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780762498192
Publisher:	Running Press Book Publishers
Publication date:	05/18/2021
Sold by:	Hachette Digital, Inc.
Format:	eBook
Pages:	32
File size:	37 MB
Note:	This product may take a few minutes to download.
Age Range:	4 - 8 Years

About the Author

Jess M. Brallier is a book publisher and author of nearly forty titles for both adults and children. With stints at Little Brown, Abrams Books, and his own children's imprint with Penguin, Brallier has worked with authors from Anne Morrow Lindbergh to Jeff Kinney, and authored books about subjects from hot dogs to Albert Einstein. Considered a well-rounded sort, Brallier is especially attracted to the letter O.
From a young age Nichola Cowdery kept herself busy constantly drawing and creating. Much to her parents dismay there wasn't a surface in the house that Nichola didn't like to draw on. She went on to study Graphic Design at Southampton University and works as a full-time illustrator. She currently lives in London with her family and two cats.

Editorial Reviews

"The wordplay is clever and funny, and young readers are sure to be tickled by O’s cheekiness and disruption of the status quo. Cowdery’s cheerful illustrations feature expressive faces and distinctive colors and patterns for each letter, creating wonderful scenes."—School Library Journal

From the Publisher

2021-03-31
This alphabet book examines the ABCs from a middle letter’s perspective.

Why does A always get to go first? It’s an interesting concept that O, the 15th letter of the alphabet and narrator of the tale, ponders. O is a natural replacement: They’re easy to make, and the ABC song, er…OBC song sounds, well, “omazing.” As O contemplates the change, other thoughts run through their head. Maybe the olphabet should be a circle of letters instead of a line. That doesn’t leave anyone behind (we’re looking at you, Z!), and it’s a shape that really speaks to O. After working through various scenarios, however, O arrives abruptly at the conclusion that they’re happy where they are. The concept of the picture book is amusing, but the follow-through is uneven. Some letters, when considered by O, are introduced with words they begin (“B can be Boring, Bossy, Bad”), but this is not done systematically or consistently. The illustrations add little to the story. The physical placement of letters on some pages is odd, compositions fighting with alphabetical expectations. For example, an early view of the first few letters is backward, with A on the right at the head of a line of thirsty letters at a lemonade stand (mystifyingly staffed by S). (This book was reviewed digitally with 10-by-18-inch double-page spreads viewed at actual size.)

Too clever for kids just learning the alphabet and not clever enough for kids looking for more. (Picture book. 4-6)

Kirkus Reviews