Animalia by Graeme Base (1993, Hardcover, Reprint)

Great story and beautiful large, colorful pictures. Fantastic book that I had for my children. They are grown and still love it today, so I bought it for my Grandchildren.

This is a beautiful book. Lots of colorful imaginative pictures to spark little minds.
I purchased it for my little nephew, and I know he will love it.

Graeme Base is a genius in the children's book genre! His illustrations are vibrant, detailed, and full of depth. Animalia, is, in my opinion, one of his greatest works. Each page is dedicated to an individual letter of the alphabet and is host to a countless number of letter-corresponding pictures. It became a game in our house to see just how many things on each page we could find that started with the letter...and Base doesn't disappoint--these pages are crammed full. (On the "P" page, we found a "pink pig pushing a pram", among many others!)

I have purchased this book at least 5 times and given it as gifts to nearly every 4-5 year old I know. It is a great way to get kids to associate letters/sounds with pictures, and will also keep them busy for long lengths of time (great way to pass time in the doctor's office waiting room!)

In 1987, Animalia was named an Honor Book in the Children's Book Council of Australia (CBCA) Picture Book of the Year Awards. In 1987 it also won the Young Australians' Best Book Award (YABBA) Picture Book and was Secondary Winner of the Kids Own Australian Literature Awards (KOALA) in 1988. The illustrations are brilliant, the phrases lyrical, making this alphabet book a fantastic combination of art and prose. Each letter of the alphabet is given a two-page spread with exquisite drawings of objects beginning with the featured letter. For example, the letter L page features two beautiful lions reading books in the library. Even the library book titles begin with L. Readers will also spot the following objects: lamp, lettuce, leprechaun, lizard, llama, lamb, leopard, locomotive, lobster, ladder, lollipop, and many more! Each letter is accompanied by a lyrical phrase such as, “Lazy Lions Lounging in the Local Library.” This is not your typical alphabet book. Although the book is listed as appropriate for children ages four through eight, I believe older students would enjoy this book as well. The pictures and vocabulary are interesting enough to hold their attention. There is even a poem at the beginning of the book, encouraging readers to look for the illustrated version of the author on each page. It takes a sharp eye to find him, but you absorb that many more details in the search. This book is multicultural in the sense that it introduces students to many objects from different areas of the world that could be further explored. Students can each create their own alphabet page on large pieces of paper and illustrate it using colored pencils, watercolors, and objects cut out of magazines. Students can create a phrase beginning with their assigned letter. Each student could do one page and then the teacher could combine the pages for a class book. Also, I highly recommend this book for home use between parents and their children, it certainly is interesting enough to keep both engaged for many readings.