A Call for a New Alphabet

By Jef Czekaj

X is exasperated. Every other letter in the alphabet has so much to do and plays such important roles in making words. X expects more. He calls for a vote on a new alphabet (gasp!). According to the Alphabet Constitution, X has every right to question the status quo. But the night before the vote, X is plagued by dreams of what could happen if he were to take on another letter’s job. S has to run around a lot making singular words plural, except sometimes he isn’t needed at all, and sometimes he needs to bring along another letter . . . it was all very confusing. Then X thought he’d like to be E. E was very important and very useful. E agreed. But E was exhausted. He was in thousands of words and constantly busy. X didn’t think E’s job was a good idea after all.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Charlesbridge
• Release date: Feb 1, 2011
• ISBN: 9781607342687

Jef Czekaj

Jef Czekaj is a cartoonist, children’s book author and illustrator, and musician. His comic, Grampa and Julie: Shark Hunters, ran in Nickelodeon magazine for more than ten years. Jef’s other picture books include Cat Secrets and Dog Rules; Oink-a-Doodle-Moo; and Austin, Lost in America. He lives in Somerville, MA. You can visit him online at www.czekaj.com.

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Reviews for A Call for a New Alphabet

[kimjd_2 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Grades 1-4

X is tired of being near the end of the alphabet and not starting very many words. He rallies the other letters of the alphabet and encourages them to vote to change the Alphabet Constitution: surely, it's not fair to the I and the E that they have to change places everytime a C comes along, and Q must be getting tired of having to stand next to U all the time, right? After inciting the masses, X goes home to get a good night sleep before the night of the vote. While sleeping, he dreams about what his life would be like if he were to be as busy as the E or as confused as the C, which sometimes sounds like an S and sometimes sounds like a K. He awakens with a new appreciation of his own place in the alphabet, and hurries to City Hall just in time to cast the tie-breaking vote: the alphabet will stay as we currently know it. Czekaj's dry humor and his comic-like illustrations will draw readers, but it's a book best enjoyed one-on-one: there is too much going on within each page to make this a good readaloud.

[sullywriter_1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Disgruntled alphabet letters cause mayhem before realizing they like their place in the order of things after all. Silly, zany fun. Readers who enjoy books like Alpha Oops! and Scrambled States of America will enjoy this one.

[daniexj · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

An interesting children's book. Alphabet books can be very deathly boring, but this one is both hilarious as well as a good teaching tool.It's the story of X, who feels like in the Alphabet he's just not appreciated enough, and so he winds up calling for a vote on whether the alphabet should change its order.The one thing I didn't love about the book was its art. My favorite children's books are those that have a little less child like art, but, still, despite the art I loved, loved, loved the story.