A is for axolotl : an unusual animal ABC
(Book)

A zoological introduction to the letters of the English alphabet. Rhyming text, interesting animal facts, and lesser-known global wildlife come together in this letter recognition primer. Using the traditional, familiar "A is for…, B is for…" pattern, the text introduces readers to the axolotl, binturong, colugo, dumbo octopus, and more, ending with "Z is for the Zebra Duiker." Each entry includes two short, intriguing tidbits about the animal's behavior, physical characteristics, or country of origin. Readers will learn that the fossa lives in Madagascar, the gerenuk eats standing up, and the pangolin is covered in keratin scales. To provide children with reference points, Macorol mentions some of the animals' better-known relatives--the okapi is kin to the giraffe, the hyrax is "cousin to elephants and manatees," etc. The creatures are shown in their various natural habitats, and a map of the world at the beginning of the book reveals the continent on which each critter is found. Large, thick, uppercase alphabet letters in different colors allow for tracing and easy visual processing of letter shapes. Much of the vocabulary will be unfamiliar to children; this, coupled with challenging words like monotreme and retractable, makes the book best suited for independent readers looking to stretch their skills. Although the rhymes sometime struggle for scansion, Macorol's roundup of unusual fauna is engaging. The bold, multitextured digital illustrations often depict the animals gazing quietly at the reader, inviting us into their fascinating worlds. An informative abecedarian tour of the animal world but not one well suited for early emergent readers. (Informational picture book. 6-9) Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.