The Story of Writing
This attractive, picture-book-size introduction to the history of the Roman alphabet tries for an interactive approach. Beginning sections about early civilizations’ alphabets, starting with Sumerian cuneiforms, include a you-are-there narrative, which encourages readers to imagine themselves in each time period. Later spreads cover European illuminated manuscripts and the development of printing technology. A final section about Chinese characters is welcome but feels somewhat tacked on to what is primarily a survey of Western language. Numerous carefully chosen color photos of artifacts on each page greatly enhance the book’s appeal. Students may find the examples of a Sumerian student’s practice tablet, essentially an ancient worksheet, or an Egyptian scroll with a teacher’s corrections visible, particularly easy to relate to. A glossary, a map of locations where the alphabets originated, and examples of present-day alphabets around the globe conclude this accessible title, which will partner well with Don Robb’s Ox, House, Stick: The History of Our Alphabet (2007). Grades 4-7. --Gillian Engberg