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Ox, House, Stick: The History of Our Alphabet Spiral-Bound | July 1, 2007
Don Robb, Anne Smith (Illustrated by)
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Ox, House, Stick: The History of Our Alphabet
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Bold collage illustrations and clear prose trace the origins of our familiar letters. From the proto-Sinaitic peoples, through the Phoenicians, Greeks and Romans, this book follows the development of the Roman alphabet.
Includes sidebar information on punctuation, writing materials, the technology of printing, and more.
Includes sidebar information on punctuation, writing materials, the technology of printing, and more.
Publisher: Penguin Random House
Original Binding: Trade Paperback
Pages: 48 pages
ISBN-10: 1570916101
Item Weight: 0.6 lbs
Dimensions: 8.5 x 0.2 x 11.0 inches
School Library Journal, starred review
"Ox," "house," and "stick" stood for A, B, and C in the first alphabet. In this nicely illustrated overview, Robb traces the history of each letter from its origin to its modern appearance in the Roman alphabet. He explains the birth of writing in pictogram form and the eventual transition to written symbols that stand for sounds. With complementary explanation, each letter is displayed in its Sinaitic, Phoenician, early Greek, classical Greek, and Roman incarnations. The author details the relationships among different letters and summarizes such topics as alphabetical order, pronunciation differences around the world, the Greek boustrophedon style, Roman spacing conventions, the beginnings of punctuation, writing surfaces, font styles, and the invention of the printing press. A closing chart summarizes the presumed source of each letter with its date of first use and probable meaning. Robb is careful to note that linguistic research is still being conducted and that the information presented contains "both things that are fairly certain and things that are still under investigation." Smith's whimsical paintings are a fitting companion to Robb's lighthearted text. This quality work fills a significant gap in children's information literature. It should find a home in all collections.
The Horn Book
Our alphabet has evolved over four thousand years, with one culture after another borrowing and reshaping symbols to their needs. Robb traces the transformations of each letter through their Sinaitic, Phoenician, early and classical Greek, and Roman forms, grouping those (like C and G) who histories were intertwined and tucking in lots of other fascinating lore. The Romans used V instead of U because it's easier to carve in stone (our usage of both letters dates only to the 1700s); they invented serifs for neatness in the same medium. The Phoenician forerunner of H was a consonant, but the Greeks used it, later, as a vowel. The Romans referred to letters as elements (elementa), possibly from the "L-M-N sequence." Pleasantly open spreads accommodate basic information in a Roman face, ancillary information in sans serif, plus an abundance of illustrative details-letters in their various forms, objects that inspired them (see title), artifacts, and details of ancient settings. An excellent first resource, skillfully organized to introduce the subject and inspire interest. A summary chart of letter origins and a list of resources (websites plus books for children and for adults) are appended.
Booklist
Robb's picture-book survey offers a fascinating look at the Roman alphabet, from its ancient origins to today. The approach is concise but comprehensive. Opening pages explore how and why written language developed in the first place: "Spoken language doesn't let you keep a record of what was said, and it doesn't let you talk to people who are far away." Robb also covers how early civilizations moved from picture symbols to the concept of letters and the history of specific letters, with text insets addressing related topics, such as the first writing materials. The open layouts feature appealing stylized graphics that ably reinforce the text, including a map that demonstrates the spread of written language around the Mediterranean. Best suited for kids who have a handle on language concepts such as consonants and vowels, this will find a home in both social studies and language-arts units. The appended resources include both children and adults. Pair this with Tiphanie Samoyault's Alphabetical Order (1998).
Kirkus Reviews
What could be simpler than ABC? Lots: A surprisingly complicated subject receives a treatment equally playful and explanatory, allowing readers to appreciate the journey our English alphabet has traveled from its inception in Egypt some 4,000 years ago. From A to Z, each letter is traced from the Sinai to Phoenicia, Greece and Rome, morphing from near pictograms to the abstract symbols we know today. The design incorporates representational illustrations, icons and sidebars to break this labyrinthine process down, allowing readers to see how a picture of an ox (aleph) was variously turned, flattened and extended to become an "A." Robb's narrative properly allows room for scholarly disagreement about letter development - does "D" come from a picture of a Phoenician door? Or is it a fish head? - without becoming too bogged down in detail; it also includes plenty of sidebars of relevant information to leaven what could be a very dry discussion with useful, fun facts. A brief discussion of other writing systems, a time line and additional resources for both kids and adults round out this pleasingly informative offering.
Library Media Connection
The modern day alphabet has had quite a long journey over the last 4,000 years. But during that time, it has changed as different groups such as the Sinaitic, Greek, and Romans used it, but eventually it transformed into the ABCs we are familiar with today. The book starts off with a simple breakdown of the history of the alphabet and then each letter is covered--where it started from and how it morphed into its current form. Besides the text, each letter also shows the visual form that each group used when writing. The book ends with a chart of the entire alphabet, books for students, and Web sites for further information. The illustrations that accompany each entry are well done and help to accentuate the test. Recommended
"Ox," "house," and "stick" stood for A, B, and C in the first alphabet. In this nicely illustrated overview, Robb traces the history of each letter from its origin to its modern appearance in the Roman alphabet. He explains the birth of writing in pictogram form and the eventual transition to written symbols that stand for sounds. With complementary explanation, each letter is displayed in its Sinaitic, Phoenician, early Greek, classical Greek, and Roman incarnations. The author details the relationships among different letters and summarizes such topics as alphabetical order, pronunciation differences around the world, the Greek boustrophedon style, Roman spacing conventions, the beginnings of punctuation, writing surfaces, font styles, and the invention of the printing press. A closing chart summarizes the presumed source of each letter with its date of first use and probable meaning. Robb is careful to note that linguistic research is still being conducted and that the information presented contains "both things that are fairly certain and things that are still under investigation." Smith's whimsical paintings are a fitting companion to Robb's lighthearted text. This quality work fills a significant gap in children's information literature. It should find a home in all collections.
The Horn Book
Our alphabet has evolved over four thousand years, with one culture after another borrowing and reshaping symbols to their needs. Robb traces the transformations of each letter through their Sinaitic, Phoenician, early and classical Greek, and Roman forms, grouping those (like C and G) who histories were intertwined and tucking in lots of other fascinating lore. The Romans used V instead of U because it's easier to carve in stone (our usage of both letters dates only to the 1700s); they invented serifs for neatness in the same medium. The Phoenician forerunner of H was a consonant, but the Greeks used it, later, as a vowel. The Romans referred to letters as elements (elementa), possibly from the "L-M-N sequence." Pleasantly open spreads accommodate basic information in a Roman face, ancillary information in sans serif, plus an abundance of illustrative details-letters in their various forms, objects that inspired them (see title), artifacts, and details of ancient settings. An excellent first resource, skillfully organized to introduce the subject and inspire interest. A summary chart of letter origins and a list of resources (websites plus books for children and for adults) are appended.
Booklist
Robb's picture-book survey offers a fascinating look at the Roman alphabet, from its ancient origins to today. The approach is concise but comprehensive. Opening pages explore how and why written language developed in the first place: "Spoken language doesn't let you keep a record of what was said, and it doesn't let you talk to people who are far away." Robb also covers how early civilizations moved from picture symbols to the concept of letters and the history of specific letters, with text insets addressing related topics, such as the first writing materials. The open layouts feature appealing stylized graphics that ably reinforce the text, including a map that demonstrates the spread of written language around the Mediterranean. Best suited for kids who have a handle on language concepts such as consonants and vowels, this will find a home in both social studies and language-arts units. The appended resources include both children and adults. Pair this with Tiphanie Samoyault's Alphabetical Order (1998).
Kirkus Reviews
What could be simpler than ABC? Lots: A surprisingly complicated subject receives a treatment equally playful and explanatory, allowing readers to appreciate the journey our English alphabet has traveled from its inception in Egypt some 4,000 years ago. From A to Z, each letter is traced from the Sinai to Phoenicia, Greece and Rome, morphing from near pictograms to the abstract symbols we know today. The design incorporates representational illustrations, icons and sidebars to break this labyrinthine process down, allowing readers to see how a picture of an ox (aleph) was variously turned, flattened and extended to become an "A." Robb's narrative properly allows room for scholarly disagreement about letter development - does "D" come from a picture of a Phoenician door? Or is it a fish head? - without becoming too bogged down in detail; it also includes plenty of sidebars of relevant information to leaven what could be a very dry discussion with useful, fun facts. A brief discussion of other writing systems, a time line and additional resources for both kids and adults round out this pleasingly informative offering.
Library Media Connection
The modern day alphabet has had quite a long journey over the last 4,000 years. But during that time, it has changed as different groups such as the Sinaitic, Greek, and Romans used it, but eventually it transformed into the ABCs we are familiar with today. The book starts off with a simple breakdown of the history of the alphabet and then each letter is covered--where it started from and how it morphed into its current form. Besides the text, each letter also shows the visual form that each group used when writing. The book ends with a chart of the entire alphabet, books for students, and Web sites for further information. The illustrations that accompany each entry are well done and help to accentuate the test. Recommended
Don Robb began his second career in educational publishing after seven years as a teacher. After graduating from Ohio University in Athens, Ohio, where he studied history and political science, Don taught Spanish, French, and English as a second language at the high school level in Toledo, Ohio, then later at a junior high school in Hackensack, New Jersey.
His first job in publishing was as a foreign language consultant for Holt, Rinehart. He went on to serve in a variety of editorial and marketing capacities there, and at Houghton Mifflin Co., where he became a vice president. He left that position to join Charlesbridge (then Mastery Education Corporation) in 1981.
Don is an avid reader and a writer. His particular interests are history--especially American history--science non-fiction, and mysteries.
His first job in publishing was as a foreign language consultant for Holt, Rinehart. He went on to serve in a variety of editorial and marketing capacities there, and at Houghton Mifflin Co., where he became a vice president. He left that position to join Charlesbridge (then Mastery Education Corporation) in 1981.
Don is an avid reader and a writer. His particular interests are history--especially American history--science non-fiction, and mysteries.