Animalia

From the armoured armadillos avoiding the angry alligators to the zany zebras zigzagging in zinc zeppelins, the animals in this imaginative alphabet book put on quite a show. Each letter is alliteratively exemplified in both text and image, with any number of other objects and animals, besides the main ones that are actually named, hiding in the artwork. The result is a book that rewards a closer examination, and that will provide young children with hours of amusement as they pore over the illustrations.

First published in 1986, and then reprinted in this 25th Anniversary Edition, Animalia took Australian author/illustrator Graeme Base three years to create, and it is not difficult to see why. The artwork is gorgeously detailed, with so show more many little objects hidden away in its depths. This anniversary edition includes a poster on the reverse side of the dust-jacket that contains a riddle needing solving, giving young children even more to keep them entertained. Recommended to anyone looking for fun alphabet books, as well as to those searching for picture-books that provide a more interactive experience for young children. show less

A coveted item in my elementary school library. I picked up the anniversary copy for posterity, to make sure there's always at least one around.

Each page picks a letter of the alphabet, with a sentence using that letter, and a picture that illustrates that sentence. Each illustration is also filled with items that start with that letter. As a child, I loved the animal pictures, and the detailed and complex illustrations were so much more engaging than simple picture books. Naming each object in each picture was often a group exercise in the library, as the book was often open on a table with a cluster of kids around it.

This book is one of my favorite books of all time. The pictures are beautiful beyond words. The alliteration is enchanting. The challenge to find pictures that start with the sound of each letter is fantastic. My only concern is that on the letter "K", they have a picture of guns and a kidnapping scenario. In most American schools, it's against the rules to play "guns". So, it may confuse children when they see it in a book at school.

This is not an abecedary for the younger forms; it's definitely for the Scrabble aficionado. The art is gorgeous and intricate, and the number of things beginning with each letter that Base works into each painting is both astonishing and delighting. (Example: "P" has a Parade led by a Prelate and a Pirate with a Parrot, holding a Peace sign, followed by a Pygmy, a Punch-and-Judy show, a Prisoner and a Policeman, a Piper and a Pharaoh, a Philosopher--classical Grecian issue--a Politician with his Partner and a Pig in a Pram, walking with her Poodle, while Pandas Pick up Pinecones.)

This book really creeped me out as a kid, but I didn't know why. I read it today as an adult, and it's not as creepy, but I still feel weird, still can't put my finger on why. The art is delightful and the alliteration cute if problematic at times--kidnapping kangaroos are supposed to be funny. They are not. I'm glad this book isn't creepy to me anymore, but I'll be kind of worried if my nieces or little cousins like it. So, mixed feelings over here.

This is a highly engaging book, that takes alliteration to the next level. Each page is beautifully illustrated with lots of images all related to the letter of the page. Every time I look through this book, I find something new. On top of that the author "hid himself" on each page, so there is an extra level of engagement in finding him. This is a great book for introducing the concept of alliteration to children

This was one of my favorite books when I was a child, and it's still just as wonderful today. It's an alphabet book, but there's much more to it. Each letter boasts a tongue-twisting alliteration, often using big words that I remember having to sound out as a child, and then became curious about the meaning. As a graphic design major, I am very interested in typography and especially hand drawn type, and there are beautiful specimens of hand drawn type in this book. Also, each page contains not only the illustration described in words, but countless other objects that begin with that particular letter, as well as the artist himself hiding on every page, making the book into an exciting, animal version of Where's Waldo. As a child, show more there's so much more to learn in this book besides just the alphabet, and even as an adult, everything about this book is still fun and exciting. show less