Storybook Corner Book Review: Animalphabet (Children's Picture Book)

Animalphabet

by Julia Donaldson

illustrated by Sharon King-Chai 

 

Publisher: Pan Macmillan Australia

Imprint: Two Hoots

Publication date: 30th October 2018

Pages: 32

RRP: $24.99

Format Read: Hardcover

Source: courtesy of the publisher

A splendidly die-cut alphabet of animals from Number 1 bestselling author of The Gruffalo, Julia Donaldson, and visionary illustrator Sharon King-Chai.
Each cleverly cut flap draws you further into a beautifully vibrant world of huge elephants, slithery snakes and growling tigers. Sharon King-Chai's bold colours and shapes make Animalphabet a rich delight for children of all ages while Julia Donaldson's rhythmic text is a pleasure to read aloud. The cleverly written, simple text invites children to compare one animal to another, and clever hints and peep-through holes within the artwork make this a hugely entertaining guessing game as well as a gorgeous book to treasure.
The perfect gift for boys and girls alike who will love embarking on a journey of discovery through the natural world, from one animal to another.

From the best selling author of The Gruffalo and The Guffalo's child.

This beautiful hardcover picture book tempts you right from the first look. The cover has a gorgeous illustration of two elephants in a forest, embellished with foil and cut-outs it’s a book that screams to be picked up.

Each page features an animal of the alphabet, bright splashes of colour, peep through cut-outs giving hints of what’s to come and flaps to lift and peek under. As each animal is introduced we are given a hint by way of a question as to what the next animal will be. B is a butterfly then the question is; Who has more legs than a butterfly?

Dot loved this book and her favourite part was guessing what animal came next. We have read this together many times and she is enjoying the accomplishment of getting more and more animals correct.

Ditto loves flaps and was more interested in seeing what is behind each flap than the related text but this is a book that will grow with the child and can be read and enjoyed over the years to come.

King-Chai’s illustrations are enchanting with great splashes of colour with the scenes perfectly matching the animals depicted with forest scenes, water scenes and desert scenes. A feast for the eyes!!

Animalphabet is a beautiful picture book that would make a treasured gift for any preschool child.

My Rating   5/5      🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟

 

photo courtesy of Goodreads

Julia Donaldson is the outrageously talented prize-winning author of some of the world's best-loved children's books, including modern classics The Gruffalo and The Gruffalo's Child, which together have sold over 17 million copies worldwide, and the hugely successful What the Ladybird Heard adventures. Julia also writes fiction, including the Princess Mirror-Belle books illustrated by Lydia Monks, as well as poems, plays and songs - and her brilliant live shows are always in demand. Sharon King-Chai is an enormously talented designer and illustrator. Having grown up in Australia, she moved to London in 2003 and since then has brought her style and eye for beautiful design to album covers, book covers, stationery and her books Lucy Ladybird, Snail Mail and Animalphabet.


                                                      About the Illustrator 


Sharon King-Chai is an enormously talented designer and illustrator. 
Having grown up in Australia, she moved to London in 2003 and since then has brought her style and eye for beautiful design to album artwork, book covers, stationery and her own books Lucy Ladybird, Snail Mail and Animalphabet, a collaboration with Julia Donaldson. Sharon has a passion for innovation, and her artwork and clever use of paper cutting encourage the reader to think differently about the pages they hold in their hands.