Memory alphabet

One picture per digit and letter

• 0 — Ring — A single round loop traces the outline of zero.
• 1 — Candle — One upright stem with one flame — the digit, standing.
• 2 — Twin Tya sisters — Two matching Tyas can split up, swap clues, and act twice in one story.
• 3 — Tree — Three rhymes with tree — the oldest peg in the book.
• 4 — Door — Four rhymes with door — and a door has four corners.
• 5 — Hand — Five fingers — the peg you were already carrying.
• 6 — Sticks — Six rhymes with sticks — pick up a pile of them.
• 7 — Cloud cushion — Seven–heaven: squeeze a cloud-shaped cushion on your sofa.
• 8 — Hourglass — Two bowls pinched at the waist — an 8 that pours.
• 9 — Umbrella — The 9’s tail is the umbrella’s hooked handle.
• A — Anchor — Heavy, hooked, and unmistakably an A-word.
• B — Bell — It rings, so it comes with a sound as well as a shape.
• C — Crown — Put it on the head of whoever the C belongs to.
• D — Drum — A peg you can hear as well as see.
• E — Egg — It cracks, so the image can change halfway through.
• F — Feather — Light enough to land on anything without crushing it.
• G — Guitar — Strings to pluck, so the peg makes a noise.
• H — Hammer — It hits things, and impact is what recall is built on.
• I — Ice cream — It melts, so the image has a clock running on it.
• J — Jar — A container: whatever you must recall goes inside it.
• K — Key — It opens the next image; a natural link between two pegs.
• L — Leaf — It falls and it turns colour — two changes to hang on.
• M — Moon lamp — M for moon lamp: switch on the crescent beside your bed at midnight.
• N — Nut — It cracks open, and the good part is inside.
• O — Orrery — O for orrery: turn the tabletop planet model’s arms on your desk.
• P — Piano — Eighty-eight keys to hang a very long list on.
• Q — Quill — A feather that writes — Q’s own tail, drawn out.
• R — Rocket — It leaves in a hurry, and takes your image with it.
• S — Sword — It cuts an image in half, which makes two scenes.
• T — Trophy — Award it to whoever the T stands for.
• U — UFO toy — U for UFO toy: wobble the spring-mounted saucer on your toy shelf.
• V — Volcano — It erupts, and eruptions timestamp themselves.
• W — Whale — Big enough to swallow whatever you need to store.
• X — Crossed skis — Two long skis cross into an X: hang them on the cabin wall.
• Y — Yacht — It sails away with the scene aboard.
• Z — Zigzag bridge — Its wooden deck traces a Z: cross the pond and hang clues on its rails.