Sharon Berryhill: Z

Quotes 

• [Paul looks down at a giant rotary dial. He looks confused] 

  Paul : I don't think the Telephone Company is very smart. It doesn't even know the alphabet. Some of the letters are missing.

  Telly : Missing? Missing? There are letters missing? Well, how do you know?

  Paul : I counted. There's only 24.

  Larry : Yeah.

  Telly : Well, who knows what letters are missing?

  Lisa : Q. There's no Q between the P and the R.

  Telly : Right.

  Larry : And the Z isn't here at the end.

  Joe : The Q and Z are missing, all right.

  Q , Z : [from nearby]  We're not missing.

  [the kids turn to notice Q and Z] 

  Q , Z : We're just not on the dial. But we're in the telephone directory, and you'll use us in a while.

  [Lisa and Paul walk over to join Q and Z. Larry looks back at Telly who, in turn, gestures for Larry and Joe to join the others] 

• [the kids join Q and Z at an area in Telezonia where there are bookshelves full of telephone books] 

  Z : [gesturing toward the bookshelves]  Here are all the country's telephone directories - telephone books we call them. Almost every telephone number is listed here. If you want to call anyone at all, just look up the number in the book for the city where the person lives.

  Q : Now, here's how to find a name. Now, listen closely.

  [Q points out pages in an open phone book to the kids] 

  Q : All the names are always listed in order like the alphabet. Now if the last name begins with the letter A, like, uh... Adams, Anderson, Atkins and so on, well, you'd find it in front of the book. Hmm? Yeah. It would then be followed by those names beginning with the letter B, and then all the C's, all the D's and so on through the alphabet. Right?

  Joe , Lisa , Paul , Larry : Right!

  Q : Okay. Now, which name would come first in the book? Smith or Thompson?

  Joe , Lisa , Paul , Larry : Smith!

  Q : Mmm. And would you find Wallace towards the back of the White Pages or the front?

  Joe , Lisa , Paul , Larry : Back!

  Q : Good! Now, listen closely. All of the names that start with the same letter like, uh... Adams, Anderson, Atkins for example, are found in the A section. But to know exactly how to get there, you got to know the second letter in each name. A-D Adams comes before A-N Anderson. A-N Anderson comes before A-T Atkins.

  Paul : But what about people like Baker and Bates? They both start with B-A.

  Q : Right, Paul! And how do you decide which is first?

  Paul : Go to the next letter, I guess.

  Q : Good. B-A-K Baker comes before B-A-T Bates, because...

  Lisa : Because K come before T in the alphabet.

  Q : Right!

  Z : Simple, isn't it? You've just learned how to find names and words alphabetically. It works the same in the telephone book and in the dictionary and the encyclopedia and in lots of other books. Come on.

  [Z takes Joe, Lisa and Paul back toward the shelves while Larry continues to look at the open phone book] 

  Larry : Wait a minute. Here's two names exactly the same: John Mason, John Mason.

  Q : Do they live at the same place?

  [Larry looks again] 

  Larry : No. One is on Elm Street, the other is on River Road.

  Q : Well, that's how you know they're not the same. Now, when you look up a name in the phone book, make sure you know too where the person lives.

  Z : In the front of every phone book is lots of useful information - how to call the Sheriff, the Fire Department, the Police, what number to call to have your phone repaired, and how much it costs to call outside your city.

  Joe : But how do I find the number for my school?

  Z : Well, schools are usually listed first by the name of your city or county, and then alphabetically by name.

  Paul : Look! Some of these pages are yellow!

  Z : In the Yellow Pages, the telephone numbers are listed according to various businesses. You can find accountants, barbers, ice cream makers, movie theaters, plumbers, toy stores, any business with a phone. They're listed alphabetically by business in the Yellow Pages. Take your time. Practice looking up friends or people you or your parents know in business. Write down their numbers and keep a list of the ones you use most often.