Book excerpt: King Lonely Lion Looks at Letters, with its African-based theme, has not been written just to bring enjoyment to children and parents as a bedtime story and to assist educators and "home schooling mums" in the learning process. It has also been written to be a way to encourage children to increase their vocabulary by searching the pictures in the story for other animals, reptiles, and insects that begin with the same letter of each story page. It is extremely important to understand that King Lonely Lion Looks at Letters has a dual purpose. It has not been written in the traditional alphabetical format of "a, b, c," but in a wonderful and adventure-filled way that also allows a child to learn and practice the strokes required in writing the letters of the alphabet when this book is combined with the Phonics for Africa activity book. As the author of this book, I would encourage all parents, educators, and home-schooling mums to remember that the teaching and learning process of our little ones should always be fun, packed with enjoyment, and carried out with a loving heart. I can only hope that you and your children get as much excitement and enjoyment out of King Lonely Lion Looks at Letters as I did in writing it. Aileen M. Gidney