Dr. Seuss’s ABC was my favorite book as a young child, and it remains one of my favorites to this day. When I first read it to my daughter, I couldn’t believe how much of the book was still locked in my memory. Given how many times I had read the book myself, this should have come as no surprise, even though it had been about 20 years between readings.

There are TONS of alphabet books on the market. Today’s reader can find an ABC book on nearly any topic. Perhaps this is why it is all the more impressive that Oliver Jeffers managed to write an alphabet book that will go down as a “classic” – Once Upon an Alphabet.

The introduction summarizes the premise for the book: “If words make up stories, and letters make up words, then stories are made of letters. In this menagerie we have stories, made of words, made FOR all the letters.” Sure enough, the book is composed of short stories, each 2-3 pages in length, highlighting each letter of the alphabet. In addition to featuring Jeffers’ signature artistic style, the stories themselves are full of wit and humor that appeal to both kids and adults. This book is definitely worth a second, and a third, and a fourth read.