Astonishing Animal ABC

PreS-Gr 1—This concept book matches letters of the alphabet with interesting animals. A jolly jackal looks on as "joyful, jumping mice" cavort on a jello mold, a mouse asks the cost of a mammoth, and a vulture visits a vet that is a Viking vole. Each spread features capital letters in red and a lively scene involving interactions with one to four animals. The letter C is used to describe a "cosy cobra curled up in a comfy chair." Its eyes are closed, its tail is in a checkered slipper, and parts of its body are wrapped around a teddy bear and a hot drink. N, O, and P feature an outraged owl being forced off a dock by a pirate penguin, a panther, and a narwhal. The rhyming text is abundant with adjectives and alliteration. Fuge's animals communicate a variety of emotions (fear, happiness and worry), but when they gather together to see the animal that starts with the letter Z zoom past them, they all look surprised. Readers will likely express a similar sentiment.—Tanya Boudreau, Cold Lake Public Library, AB, Canada