Abigail Spells

by Anna Alter

Can Abigail spell her way to the top?

Abigail is good at many things. She can dance the cha-cha, make up stories to tell her best friend, George, and strike a fabulous pose. But there is one thing she loves to do most of Abigail loves to s-p-e-l-l. When her school announces the annual spelling bee, Abigail spends her days practicing with the help of George, but things don’t go according to plan. Can George convince Abigail that winning isn’t everything?

Anna Alter’s gentle text, which contains fun words to spell throughout, and gorgeous illustrations make for a perfect match in this endearing story of friendship.


From the Hardcover edition.

Genres: Picture Books, Friendship, Childrens, School, Animals, Fiction

40 pages, Library Binding

First published April 28, 2009

About the author

Hello!

Thanks for visiting me on goodreads.

Please visit my web site or blog to learn more about my work!

Cheers,
Anna

Reviews

[Rose Rosetree · Rating 5 out of 5]

Good, clean, honest spelling!

How delightful to read this picture book in honor of spelling: Examples of spelling help to enliven the book.

For example, one of my favorite is the illustration where Abigail is spelling:

B-A-L-L-O-O-N-S!

FIVE STARS, of course.

[Lindsey · Rating 3 out of 5]

A book about a spelling bee. Friendship. And what happens after you don't win.

[Kelly · Rating 5 out of 5]

A charming story about friendship, disappointment, and a love of spelling.

[Pamela Powell · Rating 4 out of 5]

A charming tale of friendship, this story follows Abigail, who loves to spell, and her friend George. Abigail enters the school spelling bee, but things don't go as planned.

[Melanie Hetrick · Rating 2 out of 5]

Abigail the bird and George the Bear do everything together. Abigail's very favorite thing to do is spell. She spells everything. When she sees an advertisement of the school spelling bee she is very excited. But she doesn't do as well as she thought she would and she won't be going to the city spelling bee. She is very disappointed in herself. So much so that she won't play with George, she's not interested in her favorite things and she won't spell. George is very worried about her and so tells her a story about a bird and a bear that are friends. The bird becomes very sad and won't play with her friend the bear. Abigail gets the point of the story and is grateful for George.

Nothing stands out about this story. The artwork is mediocre and stagnate, and the story is simple and somewhat boring. Not recommended for storytimes.

[Julie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Abigail loves to spell and she is certain she will win the school's spelling contest. But, when she doesn't, her friend George is quick to support her. Alter is a master of unassuming books with strong emotional resonance and Abigail is no different. Children will be comforted by the fact that Abigail does not succeed and yet everything is okay in the end. With luck, it will give them the confidence to try new things as well, even if they might fail. Alter's distinctive illustrations are cheerful and bright and match the tone of the book perfectly. This book would be a good one-on-one read aloud for a child who is learning to read. Strongly recommended for purchase within public libraries.

[Alexandria · Rating 4 out of 5]

Abigail loves to spell. She spells just about everything all the time! But when she doesn't win a spelling bee, Abigail begins to wonder why she even bothers to spell. If she's not the best, what's the point?

In comes her best friend (I read this like eight months ago, so I don't remember his name. I'm sorry!). He reminds her of her love for spelling in that rather sneaky way only best friends know how to get under our skins. And Abigail realizes that being the best isn't as important as not giving up on what you love.

The characters are sweet and the lesson is one that I think more people should have frequent reminders of. I will definitely be buying a copy for my kids.

[Nina · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a great book with subtle wit. Abigail and George are best friends who do everything together. Abigail likes to spell best of all. She's delighted to enter a spelling bee, and George, was there to support her. This sweet little lesson on friendship and spelling is great for preschoolers and school aged children up to grades 2. With this story, children can practice spelling, become more familiar with sight words and learn whit it truly means to be a friend.

[Kirsten Mellin · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved how for once in a child's book the main character didn't have things go exactly as she wanted. It was refreshing. I also enjoyed how she had such a great friend to be there for her when she failed. Very creative and fun to see all her words "spelled out". I bet this would be great for an early reader starting to recognize letters and words!!

[N · Rating 3 out of 5]

Abigail is an excellent speller, so she thinks she's a shoe in to win the school spelling bee. She doesn't perform as well as she thought and her friend George is there to pick up the pieces. Great example of ways a friend can be supportive.

[Marisa]

This is a story about a girl who spells everything, but she does not make it to the spelling bee. She is sad, but her best friend is there to help her. It shows the value of friends and helping out when someone is sad.

[Anne · Rating 3 out of 5]

Fun, colorful illustrations. Sweet story. The constant spelling could get a little obnoxious depending on how many times you kidling makes you read it - but might be helpful in actually teaching said kidling to spell those words...

[Nathan Willard · Rating 4 out of 5]

The story of two friends, going through the intense training for and aftermath of, the school spelling be. Fun read, lots of opportunities to spell words with a child, and some nice complexity to the plot.

[LibraryLaur · Rating 3 out of 5]

Cute story of a universal experience -- failure and disappointment.

[Susie · Rating 4 out of 5]

FUn and colorful illustrations make this an entertaining read, but we really enjoyed how a friend stood by a another's side. Good points to teach the girls:)

[Tina B · Rating 3 out of 5]

spelling bee, friendship, failure

[Allison · Rating 2 out of 5]

It's ok to be a failure if you have friends.

[Beth · Rating 4 out of 5]

Abigail doesn't make the city spelling bee and is sad. Her best pal George tells a story and cheers her up. It is great to have good friends.

[Elyce · Rating 2 out of 5]

Too long of an introduction, too short of a climax, I know it's a book about spelling, but some of those pictures would take forever at storytime.

[Leah Jones Marcus · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great book about friendship & helping kids with spelling.

[Rachel · Rating 4 out of 5]

Short story about a duck that loves to spell so she spells everything she does. A fun way to introduce spelling.

[Karen · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a good, solid book about friendships, but nothing really new. The illustrations rather diluted the text for me.

[Jazzmyne · Rating 4 out of 5]

Abigail Spells is about a girl named Abigail getting prepared for a spelling bee contest at her school. This book will promote teamwork and to never give up, and it builds confidence.

[Martha · Rating 3 out of 5]

Cute. I liked that she didn't get what she wanted and it ended up being ok because of friends.

[Caroline · Rating 3 out of 5]

I can't figure out why this was on my list. Growth mindset maybe? It does address how to react when things don't go your way, as well as being a friend.

[Laura · Rating 4 out of 5]

Abigail loves to do many things, but especially spelling. When nerves cause her to lose the spelling bee, she stops doing all her favorite activities. Luckily she has a good friend to help her realize she’s still a great speller and can still have fun doing it.