Spilled Alphabet Soup

Every now and then a book comes along that is a teacher's joy. Tom Szalay's Spilled Alphabet Soup is such a book. In a creative twist on alphabet books, Spilled Alphabet Soup uses each letter to play with words and spin a story. Rather than presenting thematic words that begin with each letter, this book adds each letter to existing words which creates new words and nonsensical new meaning.What Eat, Shoots and Leaves and The Girl's Like Spaghetti does in reinforcing punctuation use, Spilled Alphabet Soup does in exemplifying spelling and vocabulary concepts. Add F. Dean Sneed's supportive, comical illustrations to Tom's story about the time the letters felt unappreciated and the results are an excellent resource for skills lessons. Kids will have a blast and will come away with a new appreciation for every one of the twenty six letters.Spilled Alphabet Soup is a useful, welcomed addition to any teacher's bookshelf. Be warned, however, that more than one copy may be warranted, kids are going to want a copy for their own reading pleasure.Mary Foglesong, Elementary Teacher, Aurora, Colorado M.A. – Reading and Writing, University of Colorado, Denver