The ABC Animal Orchestra

Reviewed by: Sheila Dube - Springvale Public Library, Springvale, Southern Maine Library District

Review Date: October 27, 2015

Review

This is a serviceable alphabet book in the plethora of ABC offerings. Saaf's illustrations appear to be mixed-media collage. The text for the book appears in a strip of color at the bottom of each page, consisting of the uppercase letter in a 2-inch high font next to two sentences of text. The first sentence identifies the letter and the animal with the instrument, for example "T is for Turtle tooting his Tuba." Whimsical animals playing the stated instruments appear in the foreground of each spread. The second sentence of text is a listing of other random words beginning with the letter in lowercase. Pictures of these words appear somewhere in the background of the illustration in an I-spy fashion. There are a few entries that do not match the pattern of animal and instrument. On second reading, this reviewer realized that "I is for intermission" is normal for an orchestra concert as well as "Q is for... quiet" as momma quail tries to calm her fidgety young concert goer. At the end the whole orchestra is pictured. The end pages provide the various animals creating the alphabet with their bodies. Useful for parents and preschools looking for a book to reinforce alphabetic knowledge in a variety of ways. An index listing a picture of each animal with its name and geographic location would have been a welcomed addition.

Overall Book Score: good