It's as simple as x y z! Filled with fun and lots of excitement, here is an alphabet adventure you'll never forget! Come along and ride on a flying pencil as all the little letters set out to solve a very puzzling mystery. Bold, bright pictures and an engaging story will entertain children as they learn to recognize the "little" letters-just what they'll need when they begin to read. Learning the alphabet has never been so much fun!
Audrey Wood studied art and drama at the Arkansas Art Center in Little Rock, Arkansas. She has owned an operated a book and import store, taught chldren's drama and art, and traveled throughout Mexico and Guatemala studying Indian folk art. She now lives in Hawaii with her talented family (husband Don and son Bruce, who have both collaborated with Audrey by illustrating some of her books).
Alphabet Mystery by Audrey and Bruce Wood is about an alphabet that comes from a boy named Charley. His alphabet starts saying their letter as they are tucking themselves into bed and realize that their friend Little X is missing! They are determined to find their friend. As they started their search, they came across a hint that may help them find x. Charley’s Alphabet knocked on the door. As they went in, they found Little X dancing on a xylophone. They are given a heads-up that if they wake up Giant M, they will be turned into alphabet soup. As they wanted Little X to come back home, Little X explained why he ran away and felt useless. One of the major themes in this book is friendship. Friendship is shown throughout the whole book but one example of friendship that I saw in the book was when Charley’s Alphabet realized that little x was missing and they all wanted to find him. The genre of this book is Mystery. Not only is it considered a Mystery because it is in the title but also because the letters were on a quest to find Little X. Reading this book to children, could teach them to not give up on what they are looking for and teach them the letters of the alphabet while having some fun. This book was a WOW book for me because I thought this book would not be as interesting as it was. This book kept me on my toes and made me wonder what would happen next.
The author used climax, foreshadowing, and personification. Personification was used when the author made the little x feel like Charley was not using him. Foreshadowing was used when we were given a hint of where little x could be. Lastly, climax was used when Giant M didn’t want to turn the little alphabet letters into soup. Giant M had explained that he wanted Little X to go back home and have Charley use him for his mother. I would consider this book to be an example of an anti-bias book because although the book didn’t have human characters, the alphabet still showed that every letter is equally useful and important.
This is a great book for children to read when they are just starting to learn the alphabet because has the entire alphabet listed in some shape or form on most pages. It also shows the difference between lowercase and capital letters. I am choosing to read this book for my read aloud because my mom read it to me when I was a child and I remember her voice changing as different letters talked. So I believe that with practice, I will be able to engage my audience and hold their attention while reading this interactive book. Another thing that I really liked about this book were the illustrations. I love how the alphabet flies on a pencil because it gives the book a magical feeling. Additionally, this book can teach children that they are important and valued in their own special way even when they don't feel that way. Just like how the little x felt as if he wasn't valued until he realized that he had a big purpose.
I really liked "Alphabet Mystery" because of the simplistic nature of the story as well as the illustrations. The main character, Charley, has an alphabet that comes alive, except they're unsure where the letter 'x' went. All the other letters set out to find their friend, x. They soon discover that x didn't feel loved, needed, or valued because he was rarely used in making words. In the end, all the letters are able to make x feel special and valued.
I really liked this book because the letters come alive and I think it would be important for kids to read this book because it helps them understand the importance of each letter and each word.
Interesting illustrations created digitally using 3-D modeling software. But not the strongest alphabet book, mainly because the letters are shown out of order on all the pages except when they fly on the pencil (and the endpapers). Also, the story is a bit too didactic. "We should show our mothers how much we care, no matter how big we grow."
This book is most definitely a mystery. The baby alphabet prepares to go to bed when they realize little x has gone missing. It supposedly runs away because it feels it does not get used enough in the alphabet and feels worthless compared to the rest. The whole alphabet bans together to find little x at the castle. Then, they see that little x has been working for giant M by performing a lullaby on the xylophone... After short conflict, giant M lets the alphabet fly back home, where they come together to prepare a birthday cake for mother. Little x's role was to sign the cake -- "xx xx," which stands for kisses. It a cheesy and cliché ending, but I could see mothers using this ending to say "I love you." The story is quite strange and stupid to my adult mind, but I can see this being a good mystery book for young children. There are lots of ways this book can be used to engage students in the classroom; on each page, students may be asked to identify what letters they see, or students may predict what they believe happened to little x! There are quite a few educational aspects to identifying letters in this book, but not enough that I would read it to a new class. It only highlights a couple letters, less than ten, but I feel like I would want to see each letter have their own contribution. I also, personally, don't like the 3-D animation pictures, I prefer the hand-drawn illustrations over this kind of art, however, I could see kids enjoying the realism, and it is easy to tell which objects are in action because of this style.
"Alphabet Mystery" by Audrey Wood, is the mystery of where the letter "x" has gone. His alphabet family is worried and sets out to find where he went in time to celebrate Charlie's mothers birthday. The letters meet other letters during their journey like capital "I" and "M". Eventually they find "x" in a castle and he explains that he feel useless because he is not used as much as the other letters. The letters finally convince him he belongs with them at home and together they are able to make a birthday cake for charlies mother and "x" is used four times on top of the cake. He is happy and all is well. The colorful illustrations by Bruce wood will be able to capture the attention of younger children who are just learning about letters. There is always something exciting to look at on each page. I would recommend this book to preschool to kindergarten students. The story line is enthralling and original while being educational. Students will get to see the different letters, being used in upper case and lower case. This novel will familiarize children with the letters. Students learn what letters are used more often than others. This novel also has an important lesson on inclusion, "x" realize how he feels and include him more. I would read this book to students when talking about the alphabet.
This book is about an alphabet that a boy named Charlie owns. One day, all of the letters are naming themselves off and they notice "x" is missing. To find him, they hop on a pencil and fly through the sky. They end up at a castle where they eventually find "x", where he says he is the least wanted letter. They urge him to come back because they really need him for Charlie's mom's birthday gift. The keepers of the castle, big "M" and big "I" become emotional about this and want "x" to leave for Charlie's mom's birthday. All of the letters, including big "M" and "I" fly back home and "x" ends up being used on Charlie's mother's birthday cake 4 times. The cake reads "xxxx" for "kisses". In this book, the prominent literary element the author uses is no human characters, only letters. I believe this is very beneficial to young children who are just learning their alphabet because it allows them to focus solely on letters. I rated this book 4 stars because it is a great book for teaching young children their alphabet. The reason I did not give it a fifth star is because I wish the beginning of the book talked more about the letters' lives at home to give a bit of background. I also wish there was more of a story at the end of the book regarding Charlie's mother and how she liked her birthday cake. It seems to end too abruptly for me.
The main genre of this book is mystery/adventure book. The story is about the mystery of what happened to the letter "x". All the alphabets go on an adventure to look for "x" so they can celebrate Charlie's mother's birthday. Primary themes of that are covered in this book are adventure and friendship. I think younger kids can enjoy and learn their lower case letters without having to study through this thrilling adventure/mystery book. The puns, both verbal and visual, increase the enjoyment of learning the alphabet. The book is a WOW book for me because it is perfect for younger kids to learn the alphabet by making it fun and mysterious. The illustrations is what made it more intriguing of the alphabets adventure. Some of the writing craft techniques that the author used in this book were was making sure the text and illustrations followed a long well. Young readers will observe that the other letters frequently use words that start with their names. All the alphabets looked unique by their colors and sizes. I think the book is anti bias because all the characters demonstrated inclusion and friendship. This promotes children to be kinds towards their peers and make them feel included to activities. Also, the letters did not portray a certain race which is good so kids were not exposed to discrimination.
Bruce Wood’s Alphabet Mystery is the perfect book to use as a read aloud for young students! Every night before going to sleep, Charley’s alphabet calls out their letters for fun. However, one night little x is missing and the rest of the alphabet must solve the mystery and find where he went. This ABC book is both entertaining and educational. Children will love the colorful illustrations and the ways in which the letters communicate with each other (like when Capital M tells the little letters that they will be alphabet soup!). Nevertheless, students can also learn a lot from the book. For instance, Alphabet Mystery names all the letters of the alphabet, capital and lowercase letters are introduced, and even a little bit of spelling is incorporated into the story. Wood did an excellent job of merging these concepts into the storyline without making it too excessive. In general, I would recommend this book to boys and girls between the ages of three to six. The text is a little wordy with a lot of dialogue so I would recommend parents or teachers reading it to their young ones so they can follow along!
This is such a cute story. Charley has an alphabet that comes to life. The other letters soon discover that little x is missing. Little x’s friends go searching for him. Little x was used rarely, and he ran away because he didn’t feel loved, valued, or needed. They tell little x that Charley wants to use him a lot to make a surprise for his mother’s birthday. They convince little x to come home and together they make a birthday cake for Charley’s mother and “x” is used four times on top of the cake. The little (lower case) letters on their journey to find little x and bring him home also meet other characters like maybe some capital letters.
You could use this book in the classroom to help teach predicting skills. As you read the story, you could have students predict what they think will happen next and/or how the story will end. I think reading this book would be a great way to start to talk about letters. To talk about how important each letter is, how important words are, and how letters create words.
Everyone loves a good mystery! Share Audrey and Bruce Wood's, " Alphabet Mystery" with your preschoolers or Kindergarteners. They will love watching Charley's alphabet come alive and it will leave them wondering what happened to the little letter x. The letters set out to find their friend discovering x felt as no one needed him since he is rarely used when making words. The letters find a way to make x feel special in the end. The pictures in the story are so realistic. The letters really come alive. I love using this book at the beginning of the kindergarten school year. It helps set the purpose for learning letters and their importance. Letters make words, words make messages! Letters and their sounds become a real part of a student’s toolbox, just like Charley’s alphabet. These letters become important to our student’s early school success! This book has become a trusted wow book for me!!! I look forward to reading it every school year.
Alphabet mystery is a book written by Audrey Wood. In this book, little x goes missing because he isn't used for any words and feels like he is useless, so becomes a tap dancer. One of the main themes in this book is that everybody has a use no matter what. The main genre of this book is mystery. If I were reading this book to kids, I would teach them about how everybody has a use and is important, and that your family and friends will always look out for you. This book is a WOW book for me because the illustrations were funny and the setting was entertaining.
The writing craft techniques the author uses are plot to tell a story. The main purpose of the book is to teach kids an important lesson while still entertaining them. This book is anti-bias because in the story, the characters are all letters of the alphabet, and teach the lesson that everybody is equally important and useful.
1. No awards 2. K-1 3. When taking attendance one night, the lowercase letter blocks realize that little X block is missing. Once finding the letter X, the letters learn that X had run away because he is never used in words or sentences. Eventually the letter X learns about a surprise back at home, and is excited to learn about the ways that the letter X can be used. 4. I think this is a great book to use to teach students that every letter has a specific job in the alphabet. It is also a great way to get students' minds thinking about all the possible uses for the letter X. 5. This story can be used to teach phonics and phonemes. The teacher can provide the class with images of items that include the letter X in its name. Students can come up with the phonemes of each of the words (Example: /F/O/X/) and then combine those phonemes into a word.
The first page showed a good illustration of all the letters in the alphabet in bunkbeds which was cute and could help students visualize just how many letters are in the alphabet. It also does a good job of giving the letters of the alphabet voices, so a student can understand that they are an individual letter and understand that concept in better detail. They do a good job at also showing little letters and capital letters throughout the story. This would be a good book to read to first graders. This book also has an interactive element for students when it says "which presents did the letters choose" you could have the students point out a letter and tell you the present that that letter chose. Overall this is a very good book to read to students who still are trying to understand the concept of letters.
Alphabet Mystery, by Audrey Wood, is a cute picture book about the lower case letters in the alphabet. Each night they say their names when it is time to go to bed, however, one night there is a letter missing! The rest of the letters discover some clues to where the missing letter might have gone, and devise a plan to bring it back. When they find the missing letter, it turns out to be harder than they originally thought to bring back their friend. I encourage you to pick up a copy of this book to find out what happens next!
As a teacher, this book could be a great resource for teaching letter names and sounds. There are some ways to use this as a jumping off point for phonemic awareness practice, as well as letter formation practice. Students could also study the structure of a mystery story to create their own.
This book was cute! It is about an alphabet that comes from a boy named Charley. Charley’s letter was tucking them into bed and everyone realized that X was gone. The alphabet is determined to help them find their friend x. Once X is found, they soon find out that x didn't feel loved or needed because he was never used in words. In the end, all the letters are able to make x feel special and valued.This book was a little bit of a mystery because x was missing and all the other letters wanted to find it. The illustrations were cool because they were almost 3D version and colorful. Overall this book was okay, not my favorite. I think this would be beneficial for younger students just learning the alphabet. I would recommend this to prekindergarten to 2nd grade. This book was 1/5 picture books ABC version.
1. No awards. 2. Pre-k & Kindergarten age level. 3. Little x goes missing within the night. The lowercase letters go on an adventure to find him, feature many encounters with the capital letters. The lowercase letters find Little x who ran away because he feels useless, the letters then help him find ways in which Charley, their kid, uses him! 4. I like this book because it shows children all of the letters, but in a nontraditional alphabet book way. The story is creative and helpful to children as their dialogue contains words that start with their letter. 5. This can be used for children as you help them learn their letters, the more they know the letters the more they will enjoy this book. This book can also be used in a fiction theme as it is both educational and fun to read!
Pre-K - 2nd In the story, Little x goes missing! All of the other little letters set off to find Little x and bring him home. Once he is rescued, he is told about how much he is needed back home. This book is great for children to learn their lower case letters. It is colorful and the pictures are very inviting for readers. I really like how the importance of "x" is mentioned by the way it represents kisses, which some kids may not know. Students can look for their own letters in a sandox. Students can participate in an alphabet scavenger hunt around the room. Students will place their findings on the corresponding letter, which can be found on a poster with the 26 letters on it.
Every night Charlie’s little letters tuck themselves into bed. But one night there is a letter missing. So the others jump onto a flying pencil and take off in search of the lost little x.
Young readers will enjoy this enchanting exploration of the alphabet as they travel along with the little letters in search of the missing little x. The bright, bold illustrations will charm beginning readers as the engaging story unfolds. Learning the alphabet has never been so much fun!
I wasn't a fan of this book. It does serve its purpose as an alphabet book with a ton of repetition of the letters, but I think the narrative is lacking. It starts off on a good track, as all the letters are are checking in for bed time, the letters realize X is missing and they send out to find him. I think that is a very interesting, fun and simple narrative for an alphabet book, but it quickly strays away from that and the story goes in a million random directions. It is very "punny" and exercises letter recognition with children, but that's about it.
This is a fun spin on the classic ABC book. This allows children to not only hear and learn the letters of the alphabet but also allows them to hear and recognize what letter is miss. It has a creative and fun story line that allows for an interactive experience when reading it. The illustrations help children to see and be able to recognize letters. But most of all my favorite thing is how when the author is talking about a specific letter they highlight it so children can connect the letters to the story.
Have you ever felt like you didn’t have a purpose? Well, that’s how Little X felt before he went missing. Where has he gone? Why is he missing? Will the little letters find him before Giant M wakes up and orders all of the little letters to be made into alphabet soup? You must read to find out!
This is a mystery worth solving. During the investigation, you learn about letters, friendship and the importance of feeling like you belong.
This is a cute mystery picture book for children about little letters. In this book, the little x goes missing because he is never used. The rest of the lowercase letters have to solve the mystery of where x went. Then, they have to figure our their way back home. This book is very colorful and sweet while teaching young students about lowercase letters. This is not a typical alphabet book but it uses context to teach students the letters.
Mystery K-1 A unique feature of this book is when all of the letters get gifts towards the end of the book. My students loved making the connection between the sound that the letter made and the first sound in the gift. We were able to do a creative writing out of this story by asking the children to write about what gifts the first letter in their name could receive. Finished Reading: September 10, 2018
Fantasy fiction Kindergarten This would be such a great book to read in a kindergarten classroom! You could have the students use sign language when they talk about specific letters, if that’s something they’ve been working on. You could do many lessons with this alphabet mystery book. You could talk about lower and upper case letters. There are lots of ways you could incorporate this book into a lesson!
Genre: Contemporary Realistic Age: K-1st This book was super cute! It brings the alphabet to life, which is fun and engaging for students. One thing I liked about this book is that it introduces capital and lowercase letters and their uses. The moral behind this story was great because it talks about teamwork. This is important for children to learn at a young age because it illustrates they are not alone and others are always willing to help! I will definitely have this book in my classroom library.
Alphabet mystery is a story about the adventure that the alphabet went on. One of the letters disappeared and they needed to find where it went. They got on the flying pencil as the move to solve the mystery.
This is a very good book to teach about the alphabet. The pictures portray the letters very clearly and you would be able to use this story for K-2 as it is very simple and fun!
This is a mystery book for Preschool to about 1st grade. It is a fun book for very young students who are working hard learning their letters and sounds. A unique feature of the book is the illustrations- They look to me like photographs rather than drawings! The letters are also big and bold on every page which is nice for beginning readers to learn their letters!
I think this book is for preschool to first-grade students. It is about all of the letters in the alphabet living together but when night the x was missing. Then they all went to look for him. I would only use this book in my classroom if I was teaching kindergarten or had students we did not yet know their letters. I do not think that there is anything dangerous about this book.