Once Upon an Alphabet - Oliver Jeffers

Squeeeeee!!! Is it possible for me to say that I love pretty much everything about this book? Because it's true!
If words make up the stories and letters make up the words, then stories are made up of letters. In this menagerie we have stories made of words, made FOR all the letters.

 This book is full of short stories for every letter in the alphabet, "From an Astronaut who's afraid of heights, to a Bridge that ends up burned between friends, to a Cup stuck in a cupboard and longing for freedom." (Official Synopsis)

The concept is brilliant, the illustrations gorgeous. Jeffers has outdone himself this time. Though the book will likely find child audiences due to the adorable drawings and the shortness of the tales, many, many, adults will find this collection of stories to be very enjoyable!

 I have a thing for Owls (probably because they're adorable and they have HUGE eyes!) Which makes "O" probably one of my favourite short stories in this collection, because it's about an Owl and an Octopus who search for problems and solve mysteries. My love for this letter is definitely not just because it's also Oliver Jeffers' favourite letter:
Oliver thinks his favourite letter is possibly 'O' because it's his first initial, because he was born in October and because it's well-rounded. There are even two of them in Brooklyn, where Oliver now lives and works. (Back Jacket Flap)
This book is a must-read, and not just because Jeffers is awesome, but because there are also so many things to love in the book; there is humour and wit, critical insight into life lessons, cameos from other characters Jeffers has dreamed up in the past, and even some fantastic metafictional moments. I flipped through this in a bookstore shortly after it came out into the world, and I couldn't resist purchasing it for my nieces and nephew... Of course, I ended up keeping it for myself. 

 Highly Recommended!

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