Note: I received a digital review copy through NetGalley; I received an unbound galley from the publisher at ALA Midwinter 2017. ( )

In class Phoebe works out how to spell her name, she has seen it spelled out before but does not feel like it looks right. So in class she sounds it out!

In the age of computers with spell check, spelling is becoming a lost art. Unfortunately, it is still necessary. When Phoebe's class works on writing their names, she tries every avoidance tactic she can think of. You see, her name is not spelled the way it sounds. She has seen her name written, but knows that can't be right. The letter P does not say "f". When Ms. April sings, "Just sound it out" Phoebe finally gives it a try. I love how Julie Zwillich writes about her thought process while looking at the letter chart. She finally comes up with her completed name spelled phonetically and even thought it is not correct, she is still given a smile and made to feel that she accomplished something. A cute story with great illustrations. They show a good example of a classroom without a lot of extraneous items and good expressions on Phoebe's face. A good book for a primary classroom. The publisher generously provided me with a copy of this book via Netgalley. ( )

Cute illustrations. I wouldn't read this aloud, as children would benefit from sitting and looking at the illustrations and the letters one-on-one, but there was something missing from the overall lesson. Will this be a series? It'd make more sense if so. ( )