cover image The Rebellious Alphabet

The Rebellious Alphabet

Jorge Diaz. Henry Holt & Company, $14.95 (1pp) ISBN 978-0-8050-2765-5

Diaz, a Chilean exile who now lives in Spain, takes on the subject of censorship in this universal parable of freedom. Here, an illiterate dictator known as the Little General bans reading, writing and printing in his village. He doesn't suspect that a man named Placido (``peaceful'') will foil his plans to keep the people in ignorance. Placido owns seven canaries which wear letters of the alphabet on their feet; he dictates his ideas to the birds, which hop from inkpad to paper until a leaflet or poem is complete. Placido's messages of ``liberty'' contrast with images of the Little General and his troops burning books and protest letters. Norwegian illustrator Jorfald combines collage and a cartoon technique similar to--though not as disturbing as--the work of German satirist George Grosz. He renders scenes of oppression in drab grays, reserving a more variegated palette for spreads supporting nonviolent revolution. While he and Diaz paint a simplistic, soft-hitting portrait of fascism--especially considering the target audience--the book's symbolic content will challenge young Americans. Ages 12-up. (Dec.)