The Vowel Family: A Tale of Lost Letters
All of the vowels are missing at the begining of this story about Pam Smith and Sam Vowel (introduced as Pm and Sm), who marry on the first page. Soon, Pm and Sm start a family, and each kid, named after a vowel, adds a letter to the family’s language (and to the story’s text). First the twins, Alan and Ellen, bring an A and an E; then Iris, Otto, and Ursula arrive, and sometimes Aunt Cyndy visits, each adding a new letter until the Vowel family can finally speak with the full alphabet. Children are sure to enjoy the goofy story, which lends itself to group decoding as vowels are gradually introduced. Luthardt’s bright illustrations, featuring people with cartoonish balloon heads, ably echo the story’s silliness. This clever approach to learning vowels will prove far more fun than just the basic recitation that’s commonly taught Grades 1-3. --Todd Morning