The letter Q is odd. My opinion. Q has no symmetry, no artistry, no rationale, and in English very little reason for being. If Q were alive, aware of its appearance and its unpopularity, it might shiver in shame. So: wouldn’t Q’s dilemma be a great entry for the category of children’s books and stories about characters who wish they were someone else? No way. That category is entirely too overpopulated and hackneyed.
Unless. Our friends the alphabet letters have histories of their own – and sometimes histories make good stories. The short-short tale “Why the Letter Q Has a Slanted Tail” is maybe dizzier than many I-despise-myself stories, but it also asks the question “Was I always a loser or did something change?” This is a logical query for those who, like the letter Q, believe they used to be acceptable. In Q’s case, the changes were real but neutral. Mean-spirited “friends” convinced Q the alterations were bad.
Unless. Our friends the alphabet letters have histories of their own – and sometimes histories make good stories. The short-short tale “Why the Letter Q Has a Slanted Tail” is maybe dizzier than many I-despise-myself stories, but it also asks the question “Was I always a loser or did something change?” This is a logical query for those who, like the letter Q, believe they used to be acceptable. In Q’s case, the changes were real but neutral. Mean-spirited “friends” convinced Q the alterations were bad.
It happens as well in real life, among children and adults. We believe the snarly things people say about us, especially if they say we’re getting worse. What does it take to change our minds about ourselves? As Q finds, becoming useful to someone else can make a difference.
The inspiration for this story came from a book I read dozens of times as a child: The Aleph-Bet Story Book, by Deborah Pessin, copyright 1946. This hardcover collection of fanciful stories about each of the Hebrew letters (with black-and-white illustrations) fascinated me for many years. With titles like “The Friendship of Gimel and Gamal,” “Lamed Visits Leviathan,” and “Mem Mixes Things Up,” the stories brought the Hebrew alphabet to life in my mind, as if each letter were fully-fleshed and winsome.
The Aleph-Bet Story Book had later printings but is now unfortunately out-of-print. Some copies are available on Amazon, eBay, and Etsy, mostly in the $25 - $30 price range. I hope people will buy them. I believe the stories would still resonate with children, and not only Jewish kids. Christian kids too could absorb and love the letters of the language of the Old Testament.
One thing the letter Q knows to be true: the little line extending from its body is “a neck, not a tail.” Q insists on this unlikely fact throughout the story. Honestly, the little line looks like a tail to me. But if Q says it’s a neck, who am I to argue?
The inspiration for this story came from a book I read dozens of times as a child: The Aleph-Bet Story Book, by Deborah Pessin, copyright 1946. This hardcover collection of fanciful stories about each of the Hebrew letters (with black-and-white illustrations) fascinated me for many years. With titles like “The Friendship of Gimel and Gamal,” “Lamed Visits Leviathan,” and “Mem Mixes Things Up,” the stories brought the Hebrew alphabet to life in my mind, as if each letter were fully-fleshed and winsome.
The Aleph-Bet Story Book had later printings but is now unfortunately out-of-print. Some copies are available on Amazon, eBay, and Etsy, mostly in the $25 - $30 price range. I hope people will buy them. I believe the stories would still resonate with children, and not only Jewish kids. Christian kids too could absorb and love the letters of the language of the Old Testament.
One thing the letter Q knows to be true: the little line extending from its body is “a neck, not a tail.” Q insists on this unlikely fact throughout the story. Honestly, the little line looks like a tail to me. But if Q says it’s a neck, who am I to argue?
