The Alphabet Keeper

Yes, letters can get the upper hand once they find their way to freedom. Or so the Alphabet Keeper finds out. After escaping their cage, the grumpy keeper tries to recapture them, but the letters evade her every effort by playing letter switching games. [Her `plan' turns into a `plant'. And `rats' turn into a `star'.] Still she keeps chasing them, until they eventually disappear to the moon. Disappear to the moon? Okay, so that's a little odd, but my children (boy and girl; nearly 4 and almost 6) don't seem to care. They cuddle up close whenever we read this book. Four Stars. Cute premise. Though not my favorite book, the children like it, and it does offer a great opportunity to practice word skills. The use of `present tense' a little awkward, but easily overcome. (see example below) "There is a sudden gust of wind and the window swings open. The letters feel the delicious breeze. They shiver with excitement."

"The Alphabet Keeper," by Mary Murphy, uses words and pictures to tell a story about the title character. The Keeper is a stern-looking woman who keeps letters trapped in a cage. Each letter is sort of a little creature with a mind of its own. After the letters escape, they lead the Keeper on a wild chase as she attempts to catch them.This entertaining chase is full of clever word tricks--for example, when the Keeper uses a bus to pursue the letters, the letter "h" flies down and turns the "bus" into a "bush." Many more such gags follow. This wacky story is well complemented by the cartoony illustrations. Overall, a fun way to help teach kids about letters and how they form words.

"The Alphabet Keeper keeps all her letters caged in the dark. One day she cleans the cage. The letters fly around the room, each letter making its own special sound. There is a sudden gust of wind and the window swings open. The letters feel the delicious breeze. They shiver with excitement..." So begins Mary Murphy's imaginative and inventive picture book. Free at last, the letters head for the park with the Alphabet Keeper close behind, net in hand. But just as she's about to pounce and catch them, the p turns upside down into a b and park turns into bark. Before the Alphabet Keeper can recover from her shock, the b turns backward into a d and bark becomes dark. "I can't see them!" says the Alphabet Keeper, and the letters fly away again." The chase is on as letters change, are added or subtracted, and sometimes rearranged to make new words. A cat becomes a hat, a bus turns into a bush, a plan turns into a plant, then loses the pl and becomes an ant crawling slowly away. A rats flips around and turns into a star, a crow becomes a cow, a c turns loud into cloud, and a rock, becomes a rocket taking the letters on a ride to the moon. The poor, frustrated Alphabet Keeper realizes she may not ever get them back..... Ms Murphy's creative text is engaging and filled with clever wordplay that should challenge and intrigue young spellers, and teachers and emerging readers will revel in building on the lessons, continuing the game and making new words. Her playful illustrations complement the text beautifully and add just the right touch of silly, irreverent fun. Perfect for youngsters 4-8, The Alphabet Keeper is a unique, fun-filled, manic romp that shouldn't be missed.