A Visit from St. Alphabet

By Dave Morice

Book Overview

"'Twas the night before X" in Dave Morice's lighthearted and enchanting poem, A Visit from St. Alphabet:

The S's were hung by the T's with care
In hopes that St. Alphabet soon would be there.

Without fail, he arrives and presents quite a sight:

His I's, how they twinkled his J's, how merry
His K's were like roses, his L like a cherry

Meet St. Alphabet, the jolly star of this ingenious little book, first published over 20 years ago in a limited letterpress edition and now available once again. Under the tree or tucked into a stocking, language-lovers and children of all ages will fall in love with St. Alphabet, whose antics are guaranteed to awaken the imagination. Satisfy your craving for literary hijinks and experience the joy of hearing this classic poem reinterpreted as you revel in discovering the hidden wit in each hand-colored illustration. If you're seeking the perfect gift to encourage the writer in your life, you can't beat St. Alphabet, who exclaims, as he dashes away in his sleigh, "Happy Alphabet to all, and to all a good write "

Poet and artist Dave Morice received his PhD in library science from the University of Iowa and continues to bring the magic of poetry to people of all ages through his work in senior centers and public schools. He is the author and illustrator of many books for children and adults, including The Dictionary of Word Play, The Adventures of Dr. Alphabet, and Poetry Comics: An Animated Anthology.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1566891795
• ISBN13: 9781566891790
• Release Date: October 2005
• Publisher: Coffee House Press
• Length: 24 Pages
• Weight: 0.25 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.3" x 6.9" x 6.1"
• Age Range: 4 to 8 years
• Grade Range: Preschool to Grade 3

Customer Reviews

St. Alphabet -A review

This book is precious! Our 26 friends have never been better represented in the spirit of yuletide. Morice packs his readers into the Night Before Christmas train, and takes them on a memorable jouney from A to Z, dotting all the I's and crossing all the T's. St. Alphabet belongs in the stockings of every U and I.

A Beautiful Small Press Book for Adults as well as Children

Dave Morice's A Visit from St. Alphabet is a beautiful small press book that I enjoyed even though Coffee House Press now markets it as a children's book. Yes, I read it to my children and they enjoyed the alphabet play: "'Twas the night before X, when all through the Y/ Not a letter was stirring, not even an I...." Once a child learns or is learning the alphabet and has heard ""Twas the night before Christmas" they love to play with the knowledge of both in this beautiful illustrated little book. I can still remember the little darlings: "The Z's were nestled all snug in their beds,/ While visions of W's danced in their heads;/ And U in your kerchief and I in my cap..."-anyway you can picture it-actually Dave Morice pictures it. He is the artist and playful poet of Poetry Comics, a wonderful comic book anthology assault on well-known poems. Morice can draw and, as the author of The Dictionary of Wordplay and The Adventures of Dr. Alphabet (a book about fun with poetry in the schools), he loves the play of language. I am also pleased that Morice designed the book so well. The words and images sit nicely on the page and scan nicely as you flip through the pages. You can see wonderful detail in the pictures, a great aspect of a book so concerned with writing ("When out on the paper their rose such a clatter, / I sprang from my sentence to see what was the matter.") The concern with the play of poetry and writing makes this a good small press book for adults as well as children. When Coffee House Press was Toothpaste Press twenty-five years ago they printed A Visit from St. Alphabet. My wife and I found the book then, in 1980. We got another copy when Toothpaste reprinted it in 1982 and I sent one to my nephew in 1992 even though by then it was a very rare book. We are now sending one to my grandnephew since Coffee House has reprinted it. The 2005 version is brighter than ever, more durable in hardcover, and with the green endpapers, the cover illustrations, and the bright red wrapper, a much more attractive book. Actually, I am getting another one for myself as well as the new baby.