The Alphabet Tree by Leo Lionni

The Alphabet Tree by Leo Lionni

Rating: 4.5 stars

We need to read more Leo Lionni books.  Swimmy was one of my favorite books growing up, and he has so many different books that there are plenty to explore.  Because I feel a little guilty for knowing so little about his books, we grabbed this one the last time we were at the library.  It's so great, and hits us at an especially good time as Lorelei is interested in and curious about reading and writing and spelling.

So here's what happens in the book:  There's this tree, the alphabet tree, and all the letters cling separately onto leaves on the tree.  A big gust of wind blows through the tree, blowing some of them away.  The remaining letters are scared, and huddle together in a big clump at the base of the tree.  The "word bug" flies in and suggests they group themselves into words so that they're stronger.  This they do, spelling "cat" and "dog" and "wind;" now they are able to sun themselves on the top branches without fear of getting blown away. 

Then a fuzzy caterpillar creeps up and suggests they get together and "mean something."  He helps them make sentences, which they happily do, but he's still not satisfied.  "You've got to say something important," he explains.  So they spell out: "Peace on earth and goodwill to all men."  All critters and letters are pleased, but the caterpillar tells them to hop on his back, so he can take them to the President.

The book was written in 1968, during the Vietnam War.  I'm not a huge advocate of political messages in books, but...this one made me smile, mostly out of respect for the crazy time period that came before my birth and for the fact that a lot of people would agree with this book and gift this book today if they knew about it.

So we'll keep exploring Leo Lionni; rgardless of his political views, we like his style.  Got any favorites to recommend?