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The Disappearing Alphabet
Pulitzer Prize-winning poet Richard Wilbur turns his sharp eye to the noble alphabet and imagines what life would be like without these twenty-six little--but powerful--letters. Packed with humor and subtle wit, the verse in this captivating picture book is splendidly matched by Caldecott Medal winner David Diaz’s hilariously clever illustrations.
32 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1998
63 people want to read
About the author
Richard Wilbur
256 books72 followersEarly years :
Wilbur was born in New York City and grew up in North Caldwell, New Jersey.He graduated from Montclair High School in 1938, having worked on the school newspaper as a student there. He graduated from Amherst College in 1942 and then served in the United States Army from 1943 to 1945 during World War II. After the Army and graduate school at Harvard University, Wilbur taught at Wesleyan University for two decades and at Smith College for another decade. At Wesleyan, he was instrumental in founding the award-winning poetry series of the University Press.He received two Pulitzer Prizes for Poetry and, as of 2011, teaches at Amherst College.He is also on the editorial board of the literary magazine The Common, based at Amherst College.He married Charlotte Hayes Ward in 1942 after his graduation from Amherst; she was a student at nearby Smith College.
Career :
When only 8 years old, Wilbur published his first poem in John Martin's Magazine. His first book, The Beautiful Changes and Other Poems, appeared in 1947. Since then he has published several volumes of poetry, including New and Collected Poems (Faber, 1989). Wilbur is also a translator, specializing in the 17th century French comedies of Molière and the dramas of Jean Racine. His translation of Tartuffe has become the standard English version of the play, and has been presented on television twice (a 1978 production is available on DVD.)
Continuing the tradition of Robert Frost and W. H. Auden, Wilbur's poetry finds illumination in everyday experiences. Less well-known is Wilbur's foray into lyric writing. He provided lyrics to several songs in Leonard Bernstein's 1956 musical, Candide, including the famous "Glitter and Be Gay" and "Make Our Garden Grow." He has also produced several unpublished works such as "The Wing" and "To Beatrice".
His honors include the 1983 Drama Desk Special Award for his translation of The Misanthrope, the Pulitzer Prize for Poetry and the National Book Award, both in 1957, the Edna St Vincent Millay award, the Bollingen Prize, and the Chevalier, Ordre National des Palmes Académiques. He was elected a Fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences in 1959.In 1987 Wilbur became the second poet, after Robert Penn Warren, to be named U.S. Poet Laureate after the position's title was changed from Poetry Consultant. In 1989 he won a second Pulitzer, this one for his New and Collected Poems. On October 14, 1994, he received the National Medal of Arts from President Clinton. In 2006, Wilbur won the Ruth Lilly Poetry Prize. In 2010 he won the National Translation Award for the translation of The Theatre of Illusion by Pierre Corneille.
Wilbur was born in New York City and grew up in North Caldwell, New Jersey.He graduated from Montclair High School in 1938, having worked on the school newspaper as a student there. He graduated from Amherst College in 1942 and then served in the United States Army from 1943 to 1945 during World War II. After the Army and graduate school at Harvard University, Wilbur taught at Wesleyan University for two decades and at Smith College for another decade. At Wesleyan, he was instrumental in founding the award-winning poetry series of the University Press.He received two Pulitzer Prizes for Poetry and, as of 2011, teaches at Amherst College.He is also on the editorial board of the literary magazine The Common, based at Amherst College.He married Charlotte Hayes Ward in 1942 after his graduation from Amherst; she was a student at nearby Smith College.
Career :
When only 8 years old, Wilbur published his first poem in John Martin's Magazine. His first book, The Beautiful Changes and Other Poems, appeared in 1947. Since then he has published several volumes of poetry, including New and Collected Poems (Faber, 1989). Wilbur is also a translator, specializing in the 17th century French comedies of Molière and the dramas of Jean Racine. His translation of Tartuffe has become the standard English version of the play, and has been presented on television twice (a 1978 production is available on DVD.)
Continuing the tradition of Robert Frost and W. H. Auden, Wilbur's poetry finds illumination in everyday experiences. Less well-known is Wilbur's foray into lyric writing. He provided lyrics to several songs in Leonard Bernstein's 1956 musical, Candide, including the famous "Glitter and Be Gay" and "Make Our Garden Grow." He has also produced several unpublished works such as "The Wing" and "To Beatrice".
His honors include the 1983 Drama Desk Special Award for his translation of The Misanthrope, the Pulitzer Prize for Poetry and the National Book Award, both in 1957, the Edna St Vincent Millay award, the Bollingen Prize, and the Chevalier, Ordre National des Palmes Académiques. He was elected a Fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences in 1959.In 1987 Wilbur became the second poet, after Robert Penn Warren, to be named U.S. Poet Laureate after the position's title was changed from Poetry Consultant. In 1989 he won a second Pulitzer, this one for his New and Collected Poems. On October 14, 1994, he received the National Medal of Arts from President Clinton. In 2006, Wilbur won the Ruth Lilly Poetry Prize. In 2010 he won the National Translation Award for the translation of The Theatre of Illusion by Pierre Corneille.
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Displaying 1 - 19 of 19 reviews
January 4, 2017
The concept, in broad terms, is clever. The art is vibrant and appealing. The execution fails... because the verses are stupid. X will never disappear because we use it to cross it out? No, just erase it.... Whatever.
This is in ABC order. I like better books like Ella Minnow Pea: A Progressively Lipogrammatic Epistolary Fable or Thurber's The Wonderful O.
I'd also prefer to see what children do with the concept. Teachers, homeschoolers, let your sudents choose a letter and write a short story or article with it missing (to see how funny words look when a letter is not available) and re-write choosing words that don't need the unavailable letter (to see how difficult that can be).
This is in ABC order. I like better books like Ella Minnow Pea: A Progressively Lipogrammatic Epistolary Fable or Thurber's The Wonderful O.
I'd also prefer to see what children do with the concept. Teachers, homeschoolers, let your sudents choose a letter and write a short story or article with it missing (to see how funny words look when a letter is not available) and re-write choosing words that don't need the unavailable letter (to see how difficult that can be).
January 8, 2009
Fun book for the slighlt older reading child to discuss what would happen to the world around them if certain letters disappeared. It has wonderful intensely colored graphics and illustrations.
December 19, 2021
Let me start with saying that this is a clever little book. I quite enjoyed it. The poetry was engaging and rhythmical and the humor was at just the right amount to be both hilarious and thought-provoking.
The situation of what life would be like if each letter were to disappear led to little vignettes about owls wearing wigs instead of wings and it was just fun to read. I think it's actually a very good way to illustrate the phonetic properties of the English alphabet and its premise is quite true in a phonetically oriented written code. It's a great way to combat the sight word phenomenon because it illustrates so succinctly and in such an easily graspable way that every letter in the English language must be learned in order to decode words, that it is not the overall shape of the word that conveys meaning, but the sequence of sounds in order that convey meaning.
So, that's why it's good.
Why it's bad is that the entire premise is incorrect. Each sound in the English language is not an a priori necessity in order to convey meaning. Language is inherently abstract, the sounds we use to represent meaning are not necessarily related to the thing that they represent. If they were, we could not have multiple languages. Not only that, but sounds have disappeared from English and sounds have been added to English. One of his own examples 'waterproof' could technically have been pronounced 'wedprueve' at one point and still have meant 'able to shed water' without the benefit of having an 'f' in it.
The other problem with the book is that it is based on the assumption that the Sapir-Whorf hypothesis is true, that language shapes our understanding. This is made pretty obvious when he says "Since it is by words that we construe the world, the world would start to vanish, too!" It's an a priori assumption of what constitutes the world and he accepts it as a given. I do not. It doesn't make sense. If language shaped thought and understanding, then those who spoke different languages could never truly understand each other. If language shaped thought and understanding, then those that are pre-linguistic could not make themselves understood and could not understand anything. But this is clearly not the case, babies are pre-linguistic but we can still understand what they want or need in many cases, granted it becomes easier to understand what they want when they have words to express themselves, but the wants exist before they have the words to express themselves, and the wants can be satisfied without being requested in words. It also assumes that those who never attain language cannot experience or understand the world. Speaking is the act of communicating, it is not the act of understanding. Helen Keller could not communicate with anyone for the longest time, but that does not mean she didn't understand. She knew what water was, she knew that when she was thirsty she could drink it and it would satisfy her. If one required language to understand she would never have been able to grab objects to ask what their name was, because she wouldn't have known that they were discrete things.
The Sapir-Whorf hypothesis is very interesting and a beguiling thought because it notices that there are different concepts in different cultures and concludes that language created the concepts. That's ridiculous. It really is. The concepts come into being and we create a word for it. The concept of 'googling' something didn't exist until some really smart engineer had a thought and brought it into being, then we named it. I bet that the name the really smart engineer thought of is not even the one that stuck. I wonder if he or she is unhappy about that?
And another way the Sapir-Whorf hypothesis is wrong is that new meanings are constantly being created and added on to already existing words or symbols. I mean just look at the letter 'x' in math, that thing has like 742 meanings attached to it depending on what branch of mathematics you happen to be inhabiting at that particular moment. How can you have one thing that means so many things all at once and is constantly having meanings attached to it if the symbol is what construes meaning?
Anyway.
It's still a good book, and it's a fun little exploration of how things can be misunderstood if certain symbols that equate to sounds were to disappear or be forgotten when writing. I actually really liked it and would recommend it, you can even use it as a discussion topic in a linguistics course....I might do that...seeing as how I'm teaching one in two weeks...
That's actually a really good idea.
Story: Narrative poems
Art: Abstract
Price
The situation of what life would be like if each letter were to disappear led to little vignettes about owls wearing wigs instead of wings and it was just fun to read. I think it's actually a very good way to illustrate the phonetic properties of the English alphabet and its premise is quite true in a phonetically oriented written code. It's a great way to combat the sight word phenomenon because it illustrates so succinctly and in such an easily graspable way that every letter in the English language must be learned in order to decode words, that it is not the overall shape of the word that conveys meaning, but the sequence of sounds in order that convey meaning.
So, that's why it's good.
Why it's bad is that the entire premise is incorrect. Each sound in the English language is not an a priori necessity in order to convey meaning. Language is inherently abstract, the sounds we use to represent meaning are not necessarily related to the thing that they represent. If they were, we could not have multiple languages. Not only that, but sounds have disappeared from English and sounds have been added to English. One of his own examples 'waterproof' could technically have been pronounced 'wedprueve' at one point and still have meant 'able to shed water' without the benefit of having an 'f' in it.
The other problem with the book is that it is based on the assumption that the Sapir-Whorf hypothesis is true, that language shapes our understanding. This is made pretty obvious when he says "Since it is by words that we construe the world, the world would start to vanish, too!" It's an a priori assumption of what constitutes the world and he accepts it as a given. I do not. It doesn't make sense. If language shaped thought and understanding, then those who spoke different languages could never truly understand each other. If language shaped thought and understanding, then those that are pre-linguistic could not make themselves understood and could not understand anything. But this is clearly not the case, babies are pre-linguistic but we can still understand what they want or need in many cases, granted it becomes easier to understand what they want when they have words to express themselves, but the wants exist before they have the words to express themselves, and the wants can be satisfied without being requested in words. It also assumes that those who never attain language cannot experience or understand the world. Speaking is the act of communicating, it is not the act of understanding. Helen Keller could not communicate with anyone for the longest time, but that does not mean she didn't understand. She knew what water was, she knew that when she was thirsty she could drink it and it would satisfy her. If one required language to understand she would never have been able to grab objects to ask what their name was, because she wouldn't have known that they were discrete things.
The Sapir-Whorf hypothesis is very interesting and a beguiling thought because it notices that there are different concepts in different cultures and concludes that language created the concepts. That's ridiculous. It really is. The concepts come into being and we create a word for it. The concept of 'googling' something didn't exist until some really smart engineer had a thought and brought it into being, then we named it. I bet that the name the really smart engineer thought of is not even the one that stuck. I wonder if he or she is unhappy about that?
And another way the Sapir-Whorf hypothesis is wrong is that new meanings are constantly being created and added on to already existing words or symbols. I mean just look at the letter 'x' in math, that thing has like 742 meanings attached to it depending on what branch of mathematics you happen to be inhabiting at that particular moment. How can you have one thing that means so many things all at once and is constantly having meanings attached to it if the symbol is what construes meaning?
Anyway.
It's still a good book, and it's a fun little exploration of how things can be misunderstood if certain symbols that equate to sounds were to disappear or be forgotten when writing. I actually really liked it and would recommend it, you can even use it as a discussion topic in a linguistics course....I might do that...seeing as how I'm teaching one in two weeks...
That's actually a really good idea.
Story: Narrative poems
Art: Abstract
Price
August 1, 2023
I went into reading this book expecting one thing and getting something totally different. I had thought that, as I read, a letter would vanish from the story and leave me with a blank page at the end. What I got was a lyrical poem with each verse pondering the loss of a letter within a particular word. So, the letter “A” would vanish from “Hay” but, within the same verse, be used in “unheard” and “happy.” For me, the concept fell flat. I cannot imagine it being a good read-aloud, despite its silliness with words missing a letter, and I cannot imagine a child learning from it. Although, as another Goodreads reviewer noted, it could be a fun (torturous??) assignment to have a student write a short story without the use of one letter.
In addition, the text has not withstood the test of time. In two different verses, the words “dumb” and “stupid” were used. I don’t know about you, but, when I was a kid, my mom did NOT like me using those words and I would get corrected and told to use a different word. The letter “K” features “eskimo” which is considered by many Indigenous to be derogatory. By the time I reached letter “N” I was on high alert and prickling with caution. So, when the letter “N” verse featured wigs and toupees, which, yes, could be amusing in this context, all I saw was insensitivity for a person’s style choice and permission seemingly being given to giggle over wigs and toupees.
The artwork was bright and whimsical—but it wasn’t enough to bring me back from disappointment.
In addition, the text has not withstood the test of time. In two different verses, the words “dumb” and “stupid” were used. I don’t know about you, but, when I was a kid, my mom did NOT like me using those words and I would get corrected and told to use a different word. The letter “K” features “eskimo” which is considered by many Indigenous to be derogatory. By the time I reached letter “N” I was on high alert and prickling with caution. So, when the letter “N” verse featured wigs and toupees, which, yes, could be amusing in this context, all I saw was insensitivity for a person’s style choice and permission seemingly being given to giggle over wigs and toupees.
The artwork was bright and whimsical—but it wasn’t enough to bring me back from disappointment.
May 19, 2020
Genre: Fiction
Ages: K-4th
The concept of this book, letters disappearing from the alphabet, is rather simple but the vocabulary and some of the humor is slightly more complex. Parts are funny and would be for many ages. "Waterproo" (p. 7) is a funny word for anybody! As is the picture of an owl wearing a wig when the letter "N" disappears from the alphabet and eliminates the word "wing". But the description of an owl as a "staid and judgelike fowl" (p. 15) is fairly difficult for younger children. Overall, it is an enjoyable book with a lot to offer. It was entertaining and would be a great way to teach phonemic awareness and phonics to children.
Ages: K-4th
The concept of this book, letters disappearing from the alphabet, is rather simple but the vocabulary and some of the humor is slightly more complex. Parts are funny and would be for many ages. "Waterproo" (p. 7) is a funny word for anybody! As is the picture of an owl wearing a wig when the letter "N" disappears from the alphabet and eliminates the word "wing". But the description of an owl as a "staid and judgelike fowl" (p. 15) is fairly difficult for younger children. Overall, it is an enjoyable book with a lot to offer. It was entertaining and would be a great way to teach phonemic awareness and phonics to children.
May 26, 2022
Richard Wilbur (1921-2017) writes an essay suggesting the consequences if letters (and their accompanying sounds) disappeared from the English alphabet. The illustrations are by David Diaz. Each page, written with rhyming couplets, features a humorous hypothetical scenario describing if a letter (and sound) were to disappear, and each poem includes thematically related illustrations produced in Photoshop. While some readers might find the phonetic jokes to be too abstract for new readers to understand, some readers should find the puns (and accompanying visual puns) amusing.
*Note: Scranton, Pennsylvania readers might find the shout-out amusing under the letter U.
*Note: Scranton, Pennsylvania readers might find the shout-out amusing under the letter U.
September 11, 2017
I thought that this alphabet book was interesting. I definitely wouldn't recommend it for younger readers, as there's a lot of language that is made for skilled, older readers. The approach of The Disappearing Alphabet, though, was well thought-out and unique. I did enjoy reading it, but probably wouldn't use it as a classroom read-aloud, at least not for younger students.
November 24, 2018
Introducing the little people in my life to the verse of Richard Wilbur. I think I am the worst at the gift-giving: generously wrapping gifts that I'd like to receive.
November 22, 2025
Zany and fun!
October 7, 2008
Genre: Alphabet Book/Poetry
Grades: K-3
Awards: X
In the book, each letter of the alphabet has a poem that includes words that contain that letter or an idea about that letter. The poems are centered on the idea of a life without the letter. I appreciate that the writer did not use trite examples. Part of the example for Q is, “Millions of U’s would then be unemployed.” Some of the examples are really out there, but entertaining. Although the book is meant for K-3, I think some of the poems would need to be explained because of the vocabulary. The author is a Pulitzer Prize winner. The illustrations are by David Diaz, a Caldecott winner for Smoky Night. The illustrations have vivid colors, and they are beautiful enough to, in my opinion, be made into prints.
Activities:
1.Teacher will Narrate Own Reading. The teacher will read the story aloud and interrupt to model thinking processes. This activity works well because of the books challenging vocabulary.
2.Students will create a Wanted Ad. The students will choose a letter in the story that has disappeared. They will write an ad with a description of the letter and why it is needed in the alphabet.
Grades: K-3
Awards: X
In the book, each letter of the alphabet has a poem that includes words that contain that letter or an idea about that letter. The poems are centered on the idea of a life without the letter. I appreciate that the writer did not use trite examples. Part of the example for Q is, “Millions of U’s would then be unemployed.” Some of the examples are really out there, but entertaining. Although the book is meant for K-3, I think some of the poems would need to be explained because of the vocabulary. The author is a Pulitzer Prize winner. The illustrations are by David Diaz, a Caldecott winner for Smoky Night. The illustrations have vivid colors, and they are beautiful enough to, in my opinion, be made into prints.
Activities:
1.Teacher will Narrate Own Reading. The teacher will read the story aloud and interrupt to model thinking processes. This activity works well because of the books challenging vocabulary.
2.Students will create a Wanted Ad. The students will choose a letter in the story that has disappeared. They will write an ad with a description of the letter and why it is needed in the alphabet.
October 9, 2012
It's fun to see how authors and illustrators approach the alphabet book. I think this one has a great concept, but it is likely to be too advanced for the young readers who would benefit the most from a lesson on the A, B, Cs. "If [B] were absent, say, from BAT and BALL, There'd be no big or little leagues AT ALL." Many of the verses could be explained to children by adults, but repetitive explanations might vacuum the fun out of it.
David Diaz does a fabulous job with the illustrations, and I would argue that this book could be useful even if the text was ignored and children were encouraged to find the hidden letter in each picture.
David Diaz does a fabulous job with the illustrations, and I would argue that this book could be useful even if the text was ignored and children were encouraged to find the hidden letter in each picture.
February 26, 2015
I thought this book was useful in a variety of ways. I would definitely implement this book in a lower level elementary school classroom. It expands students' vocabulary as well ties in the element of poetry.
Purpose:
Read aloud to Kindergarten-1st grade students
Expands vocabulary and challenges students to read in an imaginative way
The "missing letter" element of this book makes students analyze words and challenges their spelling capabilities. Also it introduces them to the concepts of rhyming.
Purpose:
Read aloud to Kindergarten-1st grade students
Expands vocabulary and challenges students to read in an imaginative way
The "missing letter" element of this book makes students analyze words and challenges their spelling capabilities. Also it introduces them to the concepts of rhyming.
June 20, 2009
This is not the best alphabet book for someone new to reading. It is wonderful for those of us who already love language. (Oh, my! What would happen if the l disappeared? I would only be a over of anguage!)
October 7, 2013
Loved this alphabet book! Richard Wilbur is a genius and wrote 26 short poems about what life would be like without the alphabet. It is funny and would be really eye opening for children so they could see the importance of the alphabet and why we learn about all of these letters.
September 22, 2015
I really enjoyed this book. It discusses what if each letter of the alphabet disappeared. It brings up different words and how they would sound if they did not have that letter from the alphabet. It would be good to use in k-2 grades to work on spelling and the alphabet.
February 6, 2016
My students & I loved the art design. It led to an interesting lesson of the impact of the alphabet in regards to vowel teams.
November 7, 2011
david diazis a much better artist than i imagined. this is completly different from Smoky Night!
August 28, 2016
Whimsical book for early learner!
July 22, 2017
Wilbur’s poetic talent comes through in this short concept book about what life would be like without the letter of the alphabet. The illustrations in this picture book are bright and colorful, helping the imagery pair with the text to tell a story for each letter’s significance in cute and interesting ways. The combined work from a Pulitzer Prize author and a Caldecott Medal winner illustrator, David Diaz, makes this book fun to read for kids and always interesting to think about further for adults.
Displaying 1 - 19 of 19 reviews