Posted on: Sunday, November 3, 2002

How alphabet evolved spells fun for all ages

By Jolie Jean Cotton
Special to The Advertiser

"When the alphabet was new, the ancient ones said that A was a picture of an ox, B was a house, and C had the curves of a boomerang.

"The ancient ones put the letters together in a special order to tell a story about their hero, whose name was Cadmus."

And so begins the story of the young prince in this retelling about how our alphabet evolved from pictures. Each page in the book follows Cadmus on his journey while introducing a new letter with an explanation of what the letter stood for.

The illustrations are stunning Greek colors, blacks and purples and oranges, done in ink, watercolor and gouache. Rumford says the art was inspired by the Greek artist Psiax, "who brought to life the amazing red and black figures he painted on vases 2,500 years ago."

The story will intrigue young readers, particularly those with an interest in ancient cultures. But there's much to enjoy for older readers, too. The more time you spend with this book, the more you will learn and the more complex it will become.