I love alphabet books. During one of my classes in grad school, we spent an entire section of class time studying alphabet books and their importance in children’s literature. I really love seeing how different authors can take the same 26 letters and create such fun and engaging stories with them. So I was thrilled when I was given the opportunity to join the blog tour for a new children’s alphabet book with a fun twist.

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Z Goes First: An Alphabet Story Z-to-A was written by Sean Lamb and illustrated by Mike Perry. This fun twist on the alphabet focuses on the letters Z and Y. Tired of being at the end, they decide to make their way to the front and finally lead the alphabet. The letters at the beginning agree right away and start singing the alphabet song. As Z and Y make their way through the alphabet, they are greeted by each of the letters, who are each doing or saying something which represents their letter. When they get to the end, they are shocked at what they find.

Making the alphabet more fun

This fun story makes each letter of the alphabet into a fun character. The text touches on lots of interesting language lessons, such as the relationship between Q and U, and the way that the letters R and S affect words when they are added to them. The illustrations are bold and colorful, making the letters and their relationships come to life. Kids will love cheering for Z and Y, and following along on their trip through the alphabet.

The Story Behind the Story

I was lucky enough to have the opportunity to interview the author of this fun story and find out what inspired him to write it.

What inspired you to create this fun spin on the alphabet?

I wondered why the letter Z had to go last in the alphabet. From there the story took shape by itself. Z became the main character, and the rest of the alphabet formed the supporting cast. It also produced an innate conflict between Z and the others, but I felt like she needed a sidekick, so Y became the natural choice. Mike Perry did an amazing job creating a world that wasn’t visually linear, which is how I pictured it in my head while writing. It added an extra fun element that complemented Z’s journey.

Was there a lot of planning behind the personalities of certain letters or did some of them come easily?

Some letters came easy, like LMNOP, because of the way we recite the alphabet. Or Q and H, because of the way they look. Others, like E, took some extra planning. And yes, floccinaucinihilipilification is a real word.

I definitely had to search that one on Google!

Which letters were the most difficult to write about?

F, G, R and S required some extra thinking and polishing when it came time to edit the manuscript. It helped to jot down the letters, write a few words that incorporated them in different ways, and of course, put my handy thesaurus to good use. My editor, Erin Stein, also provided great feedback and new ideas to push the characters even further. I think we share a similar sense of humor, which helped make the editing process completely painless.

What do you hope parents and kids take from your story?

While this could be used as a teaching tool that gets kids to interact with the alphabet, I hope it’s also an entertaining story for both kids and adults. I didn’t want it to be a traditional alphabet book, because the letter Z isn’t exactly a “traditional” letter we use every day. I also think anything written for kids can include parts aimed at adults, since they usually end up reading the book over and over. In the end, it’s a story hopefully everyone can enjoy and appreciate.

Bringing the Alphabet to Life

Alphabet Puppets – This alphabet book brought the letters to life, giving them personalities, relationships and conflicts. This inspired us to create our own set of alphabet puppets. Cut each letter of the alphabet out of cardstock and glue it to the top of a popsicle stick. Have kids glue pairs of googly eyes on to the letters and decorate them as they see fit. We used stickers to decorate the letters with objects starting with each letter. Use the puppets to create your own alphabet story.

The letters in the book often used words starting with their own letters, so encourage kids to do the same. You could even try only (or mostly) using words that start with that letter. How much of a conversation can you have? This activity reinforces the idea that each letter is important, and also provides kids with a chance to be creative in their language usage.

What should the order be?

Alphabet Order – Z and Y may want to start off the alphabet, but some things just can’t be changed. This book provides a perfect opportunity to help kids practice alphabetizing. Gather a set of toys that represent simple words (bear, cup, dog, etc), and have them line up the items in an alphabetized row.

If they need to write down the words to help them (especially if they have two items starting with the same letter), provide them with a set of index cards and a marker. You can also help kids to alphabetize the books on their shelves, or alphabetize a set of flashcards. For young kids, write out the letters of the alphabet on several pieces of paper and let them place their objects over the correct letters. We used a set of foam letters that we had on hand, and it really helped my daughter to visualize it.

Click here for some fun letter recognition games!

Alphabet Cartoons – Have kids create their own cartoons while using the letter characters from the story. Encourage older kids to draw their own cartoon versions of the alphabet and sketch out scenes where they deal with their relationship issues. Q and U are always together, but maybe they are tired of being stuck together. M and N look very similar, but do they get along? This activity gives kids a chance to write their own stories about social situations, using fun letter characters to work them out.