From aardvark to zebra and all that's in between, little ones will love learning their alphabet with these colorful creatures.
An African Alphabet is a vibrant ABC book that introduces babies and toddlers to the unique variety of animals found in Africa. An alphabet for all ages, the stunning linocut-influenced artwork brings an uncommon selection of critters to life in this lively concept book.
July 1, 2017
An elegant African bestiary, from the familiar to the exotic. This eye-catching compendium of African fauna should delight young readers and instill an awareness of the Earth's diversity of habitat and species. Animals featured range from such standard favorites as the Aardvark, Elephant, Hippo, Lion, and Zebra to the more exotic, unfamiliar, or strange. Dd (each letter is represented in both upper- and lowercase) is for Dik-Dik, for example, Nn for Nandine, Oo for Okapi, and Pp for Pangolin. Because caregivers may encounter creatures of which they have never heard mention, a trip to the dictionary or a little Googling might help with pronunciation and information on the book's more esoteric entries, as there is no glossary or other backmatter. As there are multiple notable animals for certain letters of the alphabet, author Walters sometimes gets creative. Since Gg is for Giraffe, readers learn later that Uu is for Upland Gorilla. Xavier's Greenbul and the Yellow-Spotted Rock Hyrax are Xx and Yy respectively. Of course, the real star of this show is the gorgeous, brightly colored artwork that brings these creatures to life. Expressive faces and motion lines convey presence and power; rich colors and striking landscapes evoke the vigor of the continent. The bold lines of illustrator Todd's linoleum etchings have the classic power of woodblock prints. Images are clear and easily grasped; each is a striking work of art in itself. Even the alphabetic characters have the etched, stylized calligraphic look of block printing. A gorgeous alphabet for young adventurers. (Board book. 1-4)
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July 1, 2017
Toddler-PreS-Stunning, animated linoleum images featuring heavy black lines, vibrant colors, and a range of familiar (elephants and flamingos) and not-so-familiar (pangolins and servals) critters make this ABC book one that children will request again and again.
Copyright 2017 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.