![]() Merry elephants start out as decorations circling the lip of the bowl, but soon swim in the soup. Finding and naming the animals that match the letters becomes increasingly complicated as the bowl fills up - and the pages become not just crowded but surreal. On the next page, C and D appear, along with a chipmunk and a parade of dogs. An ant and a butterfly gaze at them happily. In the beginning, the letters A and B float alone. Every spread shows a cheery bowl of tomato-alphabet soup. The best ABC books make you think, and the wordless "Zoopa: An Animal Alphabet," by the first-time children's book author Gianna Marino, asks a great deal of its readers. ![]() ![]() The fun lies in seeing how each one turns a rote sequence into an engaging work of art. ![]() Instead, the unwieldiness of the form makes it an ideal way for artists to flaunt their originality. Most alphabet books are not actually so concerned with teaching the alphabet. It's seriously difficult to make a compelling alphabet book, yet every year there are more. ![]() Teachers and parents are well supplied with books that teach the alphabet effectively, yet on my desk are three new examples of the form: two by best-selling picture book authors and one by a newcomer. ![]()
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