S Is for Story: A Writer's Alphabet is a 35-page hardcover book of full glossy color with an identical jacket cover. For every letter of the alphabet, there is a poem and additional text relating to some aspect of the topic of writing. The final two pages of the book include a postscript that is enjoyable as well as educational. Though written for children, the book would also be appealing to middle school and even high school students. The pages highlight such terms as alphabet, character, edit, genre, plot, revision, tall tales, and voice. Tips and tricks for writers are sprinkled throughout the book. The author is a writer and writing coach who teaches Writing for Children at the University of Chicago's Writer's Studio and the Newberry Library. Although nothing additional is required for your enjoyment of this book, a free 25-page Teacher's Guide is available at www.sleepingbearpress.com/educators. This free .pdf guide includes story starters, alphabetization work, vocabulary stretchers, activities for plotting a story and creating a character, as well as pages on poetry, setting, and more.

We loved the poetic definition of a "character" as "every story's star." And we appreciate that the letter themes included modern issues such as email and texting. The book defines descriptive, persuasive, narrative, and expository writing as words that "describe, preach, recount, or teach," which was a wonderful explanation for both our elementary and high school student. Though some of the illustrations seemed a bit distorted in regard to proportion, this issue was only noted by older children and adults in our family and was never distracting to our younger children, who enjoyed the illustrations with excitement. The concept of using questions to shine a light on your story's parts is helpful and enlightening for anyone struggling with writer's block. And the usually dreaded process of revision is presented in a positive way, which is great. Authors used as examples are usually good and include Dr. Seuss, E.B. White, Beatrix Potter, L. Frank Baum, Lewis Carroll, and more. (I could have done without any reference to Judy Blume as her controversial writing provides no appeal for our family and is not something I want my younger children exposed to.) There is so much great information within these pages! The Tall Tales page defines simile, metaphor, and hyperbole. There are quotes from such authors as Robert Cormier, Richard Peck, Mark Twain, Lois Lowry, Jacqueline Woodson, and Brian Jacques. The author even defines Greek and Latin terms and phrases within the text, adding more educational value.

S Is for Story: A Writer's Alphabet is an enjoyable children's book with educational benefits. Our younger children, down to the preschoolers, enjoyed listening to the book as I read the poems only, while our older children could use the book as a reference tool for writing skills. We loved hearing a bit more about a few writers and the many "jobs" they did while writing. The vibrant illustrations kept the attention of our younger children in particular. We found S Is for Story to be a really great book that can be used with younger students by reading the poem portion only and then reading the entire book with older students. It can also be read in increments as the various topics are presented in a language arts course curriculum. This is definitely not the average book on a shelf in the library! I jotted down the 26 letter topics and placed them in my planner for future use as a simple activity when we delve into new writing concepts. This book will provide wonderful support for our homeschool for many years to come.

Product review by Donna Campos, Senior Product Reviewer, The Old Schoolhouse® Magazine, LLC, December 2009