May I Have a Word?

March 6, 2017
This clever story unfolds on a bright blue kitchen refrigerator covered with colorful magnetic letters. A tiff erupts between K and C. “I wish you’d quit stealing my sound,” says K. “Your sound?” replies C. Things escalate, and the other letters, which Rash (Archie the Daredevil Penguin) deftly anthropomorphizes with googly eyes and a few black lines, are at wit’s end: how will they spell socks or get ducks to quack? “The world would be quite out of luck,” writes Levis (Ida, Always) as L and U sink despondently to the bottom of the fridge. But all K needs is a little ego boost (N generously lets K feature prominently in a story in the making “about a knight who kept getting knots in his knitting), and before long C and K are sticking together once again. Breezy and boldly visual, it will have children looking at the letters on their own refrigerators with new respect—and it should provide teachers with inspiration for classroom activities, too. Ages 4– 8. Author’s agent: Emily Mitchell, Wernick & Pratt.

April 15, 2017
Alphabet-letter magnets come to life to explore how the letters C and K share the same sound.When the refrigerator magnets decide to tell a story, C and K offer up a variety of possible protagonists: cat or kitten, crab or koala, clown or kangaroo, and so on. Each potential character is depicted in a childlike crayon drawing, affixed to the refrigerator's blue surface with the appropriate letter magnets, all of whom have remarkably expressive eyes. Suddenly K accuses C of theft. "Everybody knows the K sound is my sound. Every time you start one of my K words, you just CONFUSE everybody!" C suggests they share the sound, but K retorts that C keeps "taking all the good words!...Like CASTLE and CLOUDS!" The argument continues until they storm off to separate sides of the refrigerator, refusing to stand next to each other. This concerns the other letters, who point out that if C and K won't stand together "there wouldn't be any SMOCKS or BLOCKS! No STICKS or LICKS! No ROCKETS or POCKETS or PICKLES!" Indeed, "the world would be quite out of LUCK." These nightmare scenarios are depicted with letters arranged to form the incomplete words in an effective demonstration of phonemic principles. The clever letters even address the concept of a silent K when followed by an N, as in in the word "knight." Keen and clever with a knack for clear instruction. (Picture book. 6-8)

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May 1, 2017

K-Gr 2-What happens when the letters of the alphabet get into an argument? Many of our favorite words cannot be spelled! This is a funny and charming book about a set of alphabet refrigerator magnets gathering to tell a story. Unfortunately, when it comes to picking the characters, C and K cannot agree on whether the tale should feature a cat or a kitten. The argument progresses, and K becomes quite miffed at all of the "cool" K-sounding words that are spelled with a C. Because of the spat, C and K refuse to stand together, so words such as socks, rocket, and luck cannot be spelled. Then N shows K that he is just as special and needed as C by spelling such wonderful words as knight and knitting. C and K resolve their differences and mend their friendship. Wonderfully entertaining, Rash's illustrations enhance the text. The letters' expressions will have kids giggling with delight. VERDICT This unique, hilarious selection will have readers of all ages laughing out loud. Be prepared for it to be in high demand after one read-aloud.-Jasmine L. Precopio, Fox Chapel Area School District, Pittsburgh

Copyright 2017 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

January 1, 2018
"Once upon a refrigerator, the letters of the alphabet gathered together to tell a story." Thus begins a quarrel between K and C--each sure the other has stolen its sound--that threatens to make storytelling impossible ("There wouldn't be any SMOCKS or BLOCKS! No STICKS or LICKS!"). The slim plot effectively highlights several consonant sound combinations, which illustrations of letter magnets on a fridge reinforce.

(Copyright 2018 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)