Contrast is one of the great principles of any art--two things that are different are put side-by-side so that both can be seen for comparison. This paper considers initially two kinds of contrast in phonics: the sounds of the five short vowels (a e i o u); and the sequence from left-to-right in sounding out the letters. The paper states that these two contrasts are the beginning of learning how to read. It then discusses the following: contrast in consonants; contrast from three to four letter words; and contrast between need and supply (26 letters in the alphabet but the need in speech of 44 separate sound bits, or phonemes). According to the paper, phonics is the information about how the alphabet works. The paper then offers information about the hornbook, one of the first tools which people of previous generations and centuries used to learn to read. It also explains how a hornbook (always hand made) can be made today--even if the letters are produced on a computer, the other parts can be made by hand. Contains 3 references and hornbook illustrations. (NKA)