Parallel adventures unfold in this unique book that holds two stories in one! Meet Walter the mouse, who conquers the twenty-six cats that stand between him and the outside world, and - when readers turn the book upside down and back-to-front - meet Liam the boy who conquers the twenty-six letters of the alphabet so he can read Walter's tale.
When these two stories meet in the middle with Walter outsmarting the cats, and Liam learning to read, the two protagonists enter each other's world.
Stephanie Simpson McLellan is a literacy advocate and the award-winning author of six picture books and a middle-grade novel. She lives in Newmarket, Ontario.
Mike Deas has worked as a concept artist, texture artist, and art lead in the video game industry, and has illustrated award-winning graphic novels, non-fiction titles, and picture books as well as the acclaimed middle-grade novel The Boy Who Woke the Sun. Mike lives with his family on sunny Salt Spring Island, British Columbia.
"I'm usually not enamoured with tête-bêche books but Two Tales of Twenty-Six is more than the sum of its parts and that's why it's extraordinary. It's a book that is geared to its audience perfectly, encouraging our youngest children in their reading, especially if they are frustrated, and allowing them to see themselves in a story while taking a step up in their reading from picture books."
— CanLit for Little Canadians
"Kids will love how, after reading one story, they can turn the book over and upside down for the second one. The two stories meet in the middle when both Walter and Liam find solutions to their problems. It's a clever device and a metaphor for the work it takes to decipher letters and combine them to make words. I can imagine reading 'Walter in the World' first, and then inverting the book for 'Liam and the Letters,' which has shorter sentences in briefer lines and more repetition. Expressive multimedia color artwork makes the reading fun and helps the beginning reader really get the characters' frustrations. Liam is a brown-skinned boy and Walter appears to be living in the same house, which is a neat convention. I really like how this book covers the feelings around reading, and reduces the big problem to 26 small ones.
Rating: 4.5 out of 5."
— Youth Services Book Review
"Walter and Liam both face obstacles and find success through perseverance and practice. Their paths cross in unexpected ways and several breadcrumbs are sprinkled throughout Mike Deas' detailed illustrations. With an intriguing design, superb storytelling, and charming characters to root for, Two Tales of Twenty-Six is a fabulous book beginning readers will flip over."
— Canadian Children's Book Centre
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