The canaries were my absolute favorite in this book. I loved that they were like a typewriter for Placido. Quite the imagination to use canaries to print. The story in general gives a perspective of our present time. People what things their way or the high way. This Little General is definitely a dictator of sort and an illiterate one. So, he thinks everyone should be to make himself better!! Burning of the letters and then coming back to rain on the Little General was definitely a twist that I was not expecting. It get the imagination running of all the things that could have happened too! ( )

This is an excellent book for children to read. There is a little village ruled by a general that is illiterate, so he takes away books, printing, writing, paper, etc. from the people of the village so they are not able to read but tucked away in a little home is a man named Placido, which means peace, who loves to read and invented a way to be able to read and write through his nine canaries. I am not sure why this book would be controversial, it teaches a great lesson for kids to be their own person and find a way to read. ( )

Although "The Rebellious Alphabet" is geared towards readers on the cusp of middle school, I thought that the story and artwork were amazing. Jorge Diaz and Oivind S. Jorfald textually and visually tell the tale of a illiterate dictator in the fictional village who has outlawed reading and writing. Dwelling in the village is a rebellious citizen who uses canaries with letters and punctuation marks attatched to each foot, becoming a makeshift printing press. The following literary revolution which changes the lives of the dictator and his citizens forever is artistically presented in a very European styled manner, containing visula references to tyranny and military oppression. hile the imagry may be a little over younger readers' heads, this book still has a unique charm about it that makes it quite memorable. ( )

An illiterate Little General doesn't want his people to know about the alphabet, but a man named Placido is determined to show the people they should be free. Though this is a picture book, this isn't a book for young children. It's a political story about literacy, and raises serious questions about censorship and protest. The earliest a story like this is recommended for is middle school. ( )