Descriptions, Reviews, etc.
Description:
Ever wish English was "eez-ee-yer" to spell? Ben Franklin and Noah Webster did! Debut author Anderson and "New York Times"-bestselling illustrator Baddeley ("I Dissent")tell the story of two patriots and their attempt to revolutionize the English alphabet. Full color.
Brief description:
Beth Anderson, a former English as a Second Language teacher, thinks her students would have appreciated Ben and Noah's big idea. An Inconvenient Alphabet is her first book. Born and raised in Illinois, she now lives in Colorado. You can visit her at BethAndersonWriter.com.
Review Quotes: Anyone learning to read and write English, whether as a first or second language, is struck by the inconsistencies involved. Letters make varying sounds. Spellings have rules that must be memorized. What people may not realize, however, is that Benjamin Franklin and Noah Webster teamed up in the early days of the U.S. to try to simplify such matters. Franklin developed a new alphabet with more specific sounds, while Webster advocated eliminating what he considered "unnecessary extras," such as silent letters. The illustrations, rendered using a mix of traditional and digital media as well as partially hand-lettered text, depict Franklin and Webster going about their business with large, three-dimensional alphabet letters bobbing around them like excited pets. Demonstrating perseverance, Franklin and Webster did not succeed completely in convincing others to adopt their point of view, but they did simplify some spellings, and Webster's dictionary was instrumental in making the language more consistent. An extensive bibliography and notes section details the work behind the scenes to make the book factual as well as entertaining. -- Lucinda Whitehurst--Booklist "Aug 1, 2018"
