Imagine that all of the letters live together in a big house. They all get along and have a good time together. One day, while running down the stairs to breakfast, E falls (X marks the spot where she tripped). EMTs rush in "with an IV, ready to perform CPR" and rush E to the ER for an X-ray. While E is laid up, O, who is well rounded, steps in and causes all kinds of chaos and confusion. What are the words to do without E? In Lichtenheld's trademark campy and cartoonish illustrations, the pictures tell as much of the story as the words. The story itself will appeal to younger children, while older readers, including parents, will appreciate the more sophisticated visual and verbal jokes and puns ("Look! It's an E-Book!" proclaims the back jacket.) A graph on the back end papers shows the frequency of use for each letter in the English language, proving that, indeed, E is the most important one. Like most really good picture books, this one can be read and re-read many times with new information and digressions found with each reading. (And try writing —or reading— a sentence without the letter E!)
Jeanette Larson is a children's literature specialist, retired librarian, and the author of Hummingbirds: Facts and Folklore from the Americas.
