Beth Anderson (5)

This book for ages 5 and over begins provocatively:

“You’ve probably heard of the American Revolution, when thirteen colonies rejected the rule of England. But there was another, much quieter, revolution in the colonies . . . Two men - one old, one young, both with big ideas - battled an inconvenient alphabet.”

We first meet Ben Franklin - the older man - who was then a writer and printer in Philadelphia, and who felt frustrated over disparate spellings of the same words, such as “Letters” and “leters” and “ship” versus “shippe.” Always the inventor, Franklin came up with a new alphabet, throwing out some letters and adding others. No one seemed interested though.

Then, the author reports, the American Revolution took place, and the colonies came together to form a nation:

“But Americans from north to south and east to west couldn’t understand one another. Some spoke like the king of England, others like backwoodsmen, and many barely spoke English at all.”

(In a humorous scene, illustrator Elizabeth Baddeley depicts a peddler saying to a woman and her baby, “Vat parfect Vedder!” She responds, “I understand not ye English, kind sir,” and the baby responds - as unintelligible as the others but also with its own meaning - “Baa gaa goo gah.”)

Next we switch to a young Noah Webster, writer and educator, who “had no patience for people pronouncing words every which way.” He created a book to teach “American” English, which included grammar lessons and speaking instruction. But, Anderson observed, “Noah was a nobody.” He needed somebody famous and respected to help transmit his message.

In 1786, Webster came to see Franklin, and they found they had a meeting of the minds on the subject of language and the need for uniformity. Franklin dug out his old alphabet and shared it with Webster, and they came up with a new plan - “a new alphabet for a new nation!”

Webster went around the new country speaking to writers, printers, schoolmasters, and citizens. He continued his campaign after Franklin’s death in 1790. In 1806, Webster published a dictionary; it had 37,000 words, and helped spread the language revolution. Twenty-two years later, it had 70,000 words. The author concludes:

“Next time you sound out a word, think of Ben and Noah. Thay wud bee pleez’d beecuz that iz egzaktlee wut thay wonted!”

A note from the author provides more background on the development of Webster’s dictionary, and observes that “Each year the Merriam-Webster dictionary adds more than one thousand new words.”

Back matter also includes a note from the illustrator and quotation sources.

Baddeley highlights the letters and words discussed in large block letters arranged around and through her colorful depictions of colonial life.

Evaluation: What children don’t feel frustration over the quirks that still bedevil American language? This book offers a humorous look at how early Americans tried to eliminate those issues, and will impart a sense of how important language can be for identity.

Informative and educational.… (plus d'informations)

Author Beth Anderson and illustrator Elizabeth Baddeley team up in this engaging look at two American thinkers and their attempts to reform American English, in the years leading up to and after the Revolution. Benjamin Franklin's early, unsuccessful efforts to create a new alphabet and Noah Webster's book on American grammar are both discussed. When the two eventually met in Philadelphia, in 1786, they discovered that they were kindred spirits, and worked together to change American orthography for the better. The public being unwilling to follow along with a change of alphabet, Webster began experimenting with a newer, simpler method of spelling English words. He also began work on his famous dictionary, first published in 1806.

For any American child who has encountered British English, and wondered about some of the differences between it and its American counterpart - honour vs. honor, theatre vs. theater, etc. - An Inconvenient Alphabet: Ben Franklin & Noah Webster's Spelling Revolution will be a most informative little book. More generally, the book explores a fascinating theme - the idea of languages and writing systems changing over time, whether through gradual processes, or immediate intervention. The author and illustrator's notes, quotation sources and bibliography at the rear give more details, and provide young students with an opportunity to follow up with more research. I found Anderson's narrative here engaging, and Baddeley's accompanying artwork, done in a mix of traditional and digital media, appealing. I particularly liked the inclusion of the alphabet, in various playful ways, in the illustrations here. Recommended to young word lovers, and to picture-book readers looking for stories explaining some of the differences between American and British English.… (plus d'informations)