Zoo inhabitants put on the charm in this gentle alphabet offering.
Each of the 26 letters is represented by a character worthy of embracing. Each page is divided into brightly colored quadrants, with an animal and its letter occupying squares next to each letter. The capital letter is on a flap; lift the flap to reveal the lowercase letter on the other side and the name of the animal. The animals stand at attention facing front, their round faces often towering over their feet. Choices include animals mostly familiar to older toddlers (D for dog, K for kangaroo), though there is the occasional infelicitous surprise (U stands for upland gorilla), and filing bunny under B instead of R (for rabbit) is a dubious decision. Q is for quail (ho-hum), and X is the hard-working X-ray fish. The solid bookmaking and padded cover make this appropriate for the youngest audience. Probably the book's greatest asset is its muted palette, which works with the graphically abstract animal shapes to provide effective but quiet contrast.
An eclectic and soothing selection. (Board book. 3 mos.-2)
