A cartoon letter A with a pink body, wearing a gold crown with red and purple jewels, winking, with a playful pose.

The Secret Lives of Letters is an innovative alphabet book series that uses stories as “cognitive hooks,” a research-based learning strategy that makes it quicker and easier for learners to retain and retrieve information by connecting it to something already known or experienced. The knowledge is internalized through story, making it as accessible as one’s own thinking.

The Secret Lives of Letters books are for everyone who hopes the children in their lives - especially struggling readers - will approach reading with confidence and bravely interact with language, developing a lifelong love of reading.

What are
Cognitive Hooks?

The Secret Lives of Letters approach to utilizing cognitive hooks in learning includes the elements: personal relevance, novelty, and surprise. The series essentially uses these tactics to pique interest, make connections, and tap into the learner's existing knowledge by actively engaging their mind.

A cartoon letter A with a pink, glossy, fleshy texture, animated eyes, a smiling mouth, and tiny arms. The letter is wearing an ornate gold crown adorned with red and purple gemstones, and has small, black boots at the bottom.

Personal Relevance:

Connecting new information to the reader's own experiences or situations, making the content feel more meaningful.

A cartoon pink donut with a face, arms, and legs. The donut has heart-shaped eyes and is standing with hands on hips.

Novelty:

Introducing fresh perspectives, unexpected twists, or innovative approaches to a topic.

Cartoon letter E with a pink glossy appearance, dressed as a princess with a golden crown adorned with red and purple gemstones, smiling with expressive eyes, and waving with one hand.
A cartoon illustration of the letter 'L' designed as a friendly, blue, water-themed character with a face, arms, and legs, waving and winking.

Surprise:

Using unexpected elements or information to grab attention and stimulate cognitive processing.

A cartoon illustration of a sad, anthropomorphic water droplet with arms, legs, and a worried facial expression.