E-MERGENCY!

E-mergency, by Tom Lichtenheld and Ezra Fields-Meyer, is a hilariously brilliant book about what would happen if the letter "E" could not be used! In this story, the letter "E" takes a bad fall and ends up very hurt. The only way he can recover is if he is not used in any words so he can rest and relax. All the other letters find this to be a wonderful solution until they start to realize how much the letter "E" is used throughout their days. The letters come together to think of which letters can replace the letter "E," and, after realizing the replacement letter must be a vowel, they decide on letter "O." This idea quickly escalates and words like "friend" and "because" are turned into "friond" and "bocauso." In the end, the letters problem solve and are able to sort out all of the mix ups that have occurred.

This story is incredibly quick witted with wonderful comedic timing. But, it is also filled with grammar and spelling rules, along with teaching the importance of vowels! Although my kindergarteners find this book funny as is (because who wouldn't laugh while reading silly sounding words out loud!?), I believe that this book could be used in middle primary grades to dive deeper into the understanding about vowels and spelling rules. In a different sense, this book can also be the jumping off point for talking about working together, problem solving, and creating a supportive community when a member just is not at their best! Because this story has many purposes and holds such versatility, it can be used at multiple times during the year in your classroom.

The illustrations in this story are fabulous! Each letter has their own little quirky look to them, giving each letter a different personality. This is one of my all-time favorite alphabet books, and I hope you find time to check it out and love it as much as I do!
-Kaitlynn DeGrano