I’m not entirely sure why I picked Ella Minnow Pea as one of our read-aloud choices. Maybe it came recommended by one of our wonderful librarians. It turned out to be a challenging book to read aloud, though—not because of the story, but because of the way it’s written. As the plot becomes more complex, many of the words are spelled phonetically. They sound perfectly normal when spoken, but they look unusual on the page. It made me wonder: is this a book better understood as an independent read? And would the author’s point have landed as effectively if he hadn’t relied on inventive spelling? You’ll have to read it yourself to decide.