The Musical Letters, Book 1: A to I

Kelly L. Green is editor of the Canadian Book Review Annual’s
Children’s Literature edition.

These books and accompanying audiotapes, designed “to help children
experience the joy of reading,” might just put them off the experience
altogether. Here is a taste of the deathless prose meant to edify young
children in the ways of the alphabet: “All the kittens of Kittyland
bowed their heads as King Kenly was ready to take off his crown. King
Kenly’s younger brother, Kyle Kitten, was next in line to be the King,
but he was kind of uncertain. ‘To be King, or not to be King, that is
the question.’” Yes, dear reader, there are 26 such scintillating
stories, so sample them all, if you can bear to.

We couldn’t, even though we did find the books easier to listen to
than to actually read. On a practical note, the stories devoted to the
vowels placed an overwhelming emphasis on short vowel sounds, and so
could be confusing to young readers who must face real vowels in real
stories. Poorly written and boring, these books could paralyze the most
intrepid of book-lovers. Not recommended.