THE ANIMAL ABC

An alphabet of rare simplicity. Baker places an upper- and lower-case letter at the top of each page, a one-word label at the bottom, and in between, a frame-filling animal portrait painted in broadly brushed watercolors, generally against monochromatic, unobtrusive backgrounds. With the exception of the “Uakari,” the chosen creatures are the usual suspects, Ant to Zebra; Baker portrays many of them smiling, but in natural poses, and, for the most part (it is hard to tell with the Spider) making eye contact with viewers. Hovering caregivers may need to chip in occasional pronunciation help, and be ready to answer questions about the animals, but this offers young children still polishing their letter recognition skills a fresh—and, with its smaller trim size, easier to handle—alternative to such standards as C.B. Falls’s ABC Book (1923) or Flora McDonnell’s ABC (1997). (Picture book. 3-5)