JAMES BALOG'S ANIMALS A TO Z
by James Balog & photographed by James Balog
James Balog's Animals A To Z ($7.95; June 1996; 26 pp.; 0-8118- 1339-8): In the striking, tack-sharp photographs of this animal ABC, creatures look out from the pages as if wishing to commune with readers. The format—lots of white space—gives the unusual selection of animals (well, yes, Z is for zebra, and X is for ox) a tangible presence: Didn't the mandrill's eyes just move? Might not that frog be sticky to the touch? Though a few of the critters look cut-and-pasted, this board-book bestiary is fairly breathtaking. (Picture book. 1-4)