A Little ABC Book
Book review by Trevor Agnew
A Little ABC Book Jenny Palmer (2014) Beatnik Books, 28pages, hardback
ISBN
978 0 9922648 0 2
This alphabet book is not for toddlers. It has been written
for young readers who enjoy word-play, puns and unusual words. Not only are the 26 animals chosen to
represent the alphabet rather unusual, the verse describing each of them is
imaginative and full of word play.
The
final verse of the Vole poem is a good example of the fun Palmer has with
words:
‘Voles are very well-evolved,
for when push comes to shove,
Vole is (need we spell it out?)
an anagram of love.’
The
fun is inventive: ‘Wombats dig Australia,’
Elephants ‘blow their own trumpets’ and
a Yeti has ‘cool hair.’
Crustaceans, Alpacas, Meerkats, Yetis, and Tadpoles are
also among the many original selections.
“Reindeer reign in
snow all year,big hooves and antlers high,
but it’s only Christmas Eve,
they gallop ‘til they fly.”
Each creature is given its own 16-line poem, with witty
puns and quips embedded in the verse. Thus Seahorses are “stable at sea” and “everyone
nose” about Elephants. The author’s excellent black and white illustrations
are displayed to their best on pastel-coloured pages where the appropriate
letter of the alphabet can be seen in a slightly darker shade.
The
size of the text is perhaps too small for older readers [of the grandparent
variety] but this quirky book will appeal to sharp-eyed, sharp-witted, young
readers, especially the ones who delight in knowing that an Alpaca will “always stick its neck out.”
Note: Publisher details:
Beatnik Publishing, PO Box 8276, Symonds St, Auckland 1150, NZ
www.beatnikpublishing.com
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