Alien Alphabet: A Mix-and-Match Book

Lisa Arsenault is an elementary-school teacher in Ajax, Ontario.

It’s important to take note of the subtitle of this alphabet book: A
Mix-and-Match Book. Each leaf is divided in half and can be paired with
half of another leaf to create a hybrid monster; in all, 676
combinations can be made. The book opens from the top rather than the
side, and each alien is topped with a split page bearing the letter it
represents. Each of these capital letters is accompanied by an adjective
and a given name. For instance, “Twisted Tina” represents the letter
T. When mixed and matched the alien is split down the centre and the
adjective and noun are also divided. Twisted Tina can become Twisted
Jack, or Olivia, or Ulysses, and half of her image will make the
corresponding change.

The aliens are head-and-shoulders illustrations, and are very
brightly—in fact, luridly— colored. They may be rather frightening
to some children, as some, though by no means all, of their expressions
are rather fierce. Another possible problem with the concept is that the
mixing-and-matching process splits the letter as well as the words and
pictures. The resultant hybrid letters are, of course, not letters at
all. For that reason this would not be an appropriate alphabet primer
for a child who is unfamiliar with correct letter formation; the child
would find it too confusing and, therefore, the purpose of a book
ostensibly about letters would be defeated. However, for a child already
familiar with the shapes of letters, the manipulation of the pages and
the creation of new aliens would be fun. Recommended with reservations.