Missing Letters: An Alphabet Book

Missing Letters is not a typical alphabet book--it's a word game that teaches the importance of each letter by illustrating what happens when they're removed from words. The results are surprising as words and meaning are transformed. It can be dramatic as Will becomes ill and play becomes pay, or it can be funny when peaks become peas and banana becomes 'baaa'. Lively illustrations and a diverse cast of characters accentuate the changes, helping children increase their phonemic awareness--the ability to hear sounds not only in the starts of words but also in the middle or end.


Missing Letters can also extend beyond the pages by thinking of your own words that change when you remove a letter. It's accessible to children of any age. Young pre-readers can focus on the missing sounds and compare the illustrations, while early readers can look at the spellings to spot the difference.

Samuel Otten is from the Upper Peninsula of Michigan in the United States and is a professor of education at the University of Missouri. He enjoys music, comic books, and playing word games and number games with his children. Leon Thomas (illustrator) is from Mid-Missouri and graduated with a degree in digital storytelling. He loves art, illustrating, and guinea pigs.