Creature ABC

By Andrew Zuckerman

Chronicle Books, $19.99, 112 pages

What I like most about Creature ABC is that it fulfills the reading needs of young, first-time book browsers with BIG, BOLD visuals. In spite of their two-dimensional style, the pictures are so stunning in their detail that a child can feel the scaliness on an alligator’s legs, the fine hairs on an elephant’s ears, and the slickness of a hippopotamus’ broad back. Despite the title denoting that the book is about only an alphabet book, this work can actually be regarded as a storybook. Adults reading or showing the book to a child should be prepared to answer questions like: Why is the hippo smiling? How can the giraffe bend its neck like that? Why is the dove angry?

For young children of today who have the capacity to learn more in a shorter period of time, this book provides just the right amount of stimulation. It’s not too simplistic (gone are the days when “A is for Apple… B is for Boy… C is for Cat”), it has real pictures (not just illustrations), and its teaching style encourages young learners to think beyond the usual (check out “N” for an example).

Reviewed by D. Harms