Animal ABC

From alligator to zebra, Pfister takes readers on an alphabetical tour of the animal kingdom, with just a few departures from reality--U is for a unicorn ("I'm a horse with a spiral horn./ In someone's dream I was born") and X is represented by a hybrid frog/duck/xylophone creature, a xylophonius. Pfister's paintings have the cabbage-leaf texture of his recent books including Ava's Poppy and Questions, Questions; impressively, it's just as successful at conjuring the fur of a hare or orangutan as it is at approximating iguana hide and quetzal plumage. Although the book's verse is a bit stilted, Pfister's skillful paintings will hold young readers' attention. Ages 4-8. (Sept.)

PreS-Gr 2--In this delightful title, Pfister uses clear and inviting drawings, easy-to-read sentences, and large type to make Animal ABC an appealing addition. The simplicity of the rhyming text is well suited to independent readers. Watercolor appears to be his chosen medium for this gorgeous and well-designed book, and the animals are given texture and dimensionality via the paper that is used. Most of the animals will be easily recognized, with the possible exception of the numbat, quetzal, viper, and wombat. A couple of entries weaken the natural-history presentation, but are still fun, such as the unicorn ("I'm a horse with a spiral horn./In someone's dream I was born") and the xylophonius ("Made-up creatures are so much fun./Give it a try! Can you make one?"). This bold and colorful title will keep listeners' attention.--Janene Corbin, Rosebank Elementary School, Nashville, TN