To Do: A Book of Alphabets and Birthdays, by Gertrude Stein; With illustrations by Giselle Potter and an introduction by Timothy Young

Written in 1940 and intended as a follow-up to her children’s book The World Is Round, published the previous year, To Do is a fanciful journey through the alphabet. Each letter is represented by four names (including Gertrude for “G”) and features a short story told in verse. “[This is] a birthday book I would have liked as a child,” said Stein of To Do.

Learn more about A Book of Alphabets and Birthdays through the Yale University Press.