Al Pha's Bet

PreS-Gr 2—This unimaginative fantasy about the invention of the alphabet seems to be a clear case of the title having been written before the story. Quotidian and episodic, the tale is mostly filler to cover 26 letters worth of alphabetical organization. "A long time ago," a king of an unnamed country decides that the newly invented letters need to be organized. A man named Al Pha-as one would have already guessed-makes a bet with himself that he can put the letters in some kind of order. He then proceeds to do this, with all 26 decisions inspired by random occurrences happening around him. When a bee flies by, he says, "'Hey, that's it. A. B. Thanks, bee!' " Later Al is hungry and eats an apple. "'Mmmm. Delicious.' All that mmmming led to the next letter." Readers who somehow make it past the awkward title and overhyped premise of Al's unintimidating quest will be bored long before he completes it. Durand's cheerful squat figures, stylized plant life, and inventive forest creatures add some interest, but each busy page is as lacking in a focal point as the meandering story.—Jayne Damron, Farmington Community Library, MI