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2nd out of 8 books
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A Zeal of Zebras: An Alphabet of Collective Nouns
by
Woop Studios
An embarrassment of pandas, a galaxy of starfish, a shiver of sharks...these are all collective nouns used to describe their groups. Woop Studios, acclaimed for their work on the Harry Potter movies, has illustrated these quirky phrases, creating a series of extraordinarily beautiful art that has been collected here for the first time. The colorful introduction to animals...more
Hardcover, 64 pages
Published
August 10th 2011
by Chronicle Books
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Originally posted at www.apatchworkofbooks.com
Collective nouns, when referring to animals, is always an interesting subject to learn about(or at least it is for me). I've known for years that a group of crows is called a murder and a group of ants is referred to as an army, but almost every single grouping of animals in this book was new to me.
From a galaxy of starfish and an embarrassment of pandas, to a journey of giraffes and a kaleidoscope of butterflies, these groups are COOL! Each letter...more
Collective nouns, when referring to animals, is always an interesting subject to learn about(or at least it is for me). I've known for years that a group of crows is called a murder and a group of ants is referred to as an army, but almost every single grouping of animals in this book was new to me.
From a galaxy of starfish and an embarrassment of pandas, to a journey of giraffes and a kaleidoscope of butterflies, these groups are COOL! Each letter...more
Follow the alphabet on a journey through the beautiful and evocative collective nouns in our language. You will get to see a galaxy of starfish, an aurora of polar bears, and even an ostentation of peacocks. Each animal then has a paragraph or two of information on them, small details that show the unique qualities of that creature. This is all paired with vibrant illustrations that have the feel of vintage posters and are graphic and wild. This is one alphabet book that is more about the wordpl...more
This unique alphabet book introduces young readers to collective nouns for groups of animals, from an aurora of polar bears to a zeal of zebras; other colorful descriptors include an embarrassment of pandas, a galaxy of star fish, an implausibility of gnus, and a shiver of sharks. Each page also includes a short paragraph about the animal featured. For example, did you know that though most spiders are solitary, some “social” spiders live together in the thousands? Ewww. Even older kids and adul...more
Very interesting ABC book for your inquisitive preschoolers and up! I learned new terms for groups of animals (collective nouns), like a hum of bees and a caravan of camels. Beautiful illustrations worthy of framing, if you are so inclined. The new and more difficult words are embedded in very readable paragraphs, so it doesn't turn your little one off, yet gives you the opportunity to build vocabulary. I loved hearing and reading these words to my 5 year old; domesticated, migration, solitary,...more
Hard to say if this is really meant for little kids...but it will surely sell their parents on the alphabet. The A B C's never looked so good or appealing. Small wonder, the book is produced by Woop Studios a graphic design team, part of which worked on the Harry Potter film franchise. I give the book high scores for visual appeal but not so much on the text which at times seems geared more for a graduate course in creative writing learning the fine art of mixing unexpected adjectives and adverb...more
This alphabet book of collective nouns is an interesting addition for any wordlover's library. Starting with A, of course, the authors introduce readers to an aurora of polar bears and end with a zeal of zebras. Readers will already be familiar with some of the collective nouns, but others will be delightfully surprising: a troubling of goldfish and a venom of spiders, for instance. The text is sparing, and the Adobe Photoshop illustrations shine in this must-have title that stretches the imagin...more
I loved this alphabet book of the names of different animal groups. It's a large format book with (woodblock?) illustrations on the right and text on the left. Large letters highlight the name of the animal group, an "Aurora of Polar Bears", for example, and random facts about the animal appear in smaller font. I can imagine using this as a read aloud of the collective nouns only with primary students, and as a mini research activity for older elementary students using the full text.
Gorgeous book - both in art & content. My 7 & 5 year old grands were enthralled by the very idea of a Collective noun and wanted to know more! Each page also included snippets of information about each group and in some cases actually connected the collective noun to a specific attribute of the group. I actually bought this for myself but have discovered that I will have to share it!
The only thing that would make this book better would be definitions of the collective nouns. So much of what makes the collective noun perfect for each animal is the meaning of the word: implausibility, ostentation, pandemonium...Okay. I'm looking again. Maybe you can figure them out in context. I'll use with kids and report back.
Each picture would make a great poster for the wall. Stunning. (I would pick the embarrasment of pandas and the aurora of polar bears). And liked the variety of the collective nouns and the facts about each animal chosen, though the info was a bit on the piecemeal side - weakest part of the book.
This is the sort of book that would have kept me entertained for hours when I was a kid. Actually, it's the sort of book that STILL keeps me entertained for hours. The illustrations are AMAZING--I need 2 copies, one to keep and one to cut up and frame.
A unique combination of stunning graphics, wordplay, and scientific information about each animal. I wish words like exaltation and and ostentation had been defined for young readers, but otherwise it's a standout among alphabet books.
I love looking at ABC books just to see what new variations are out there. This one has cool art and interesting titles for each letter based on the animal it represents but the facts/text left me wanting to just flip through them.
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I LOVE books like this! Why you might ask...because it tells you cool things! For example, did you know that a group of sharks is called a shiver? Or that a group of sea stars is called a galaxy? Love it!
It's an ABC book about collective nouns related to animals, but it's also informational because each page gives really interesting information about the animal for that letter. The art is incredible.
It's hard to believe that some of the animal collective noun names are true, for example: an ostentation of peacocks and an unkindness of ravens. I really enjoyed finally finding out what they are, though!
I really learned something from this alphabet book!
I had no idea a group of pandas was called an embarrassment or a group of bees was called a hum.
I had no idea a group of pandas was called an embarrassment or a group of bees was called a hum.
This is an alphabet of collective nouns. And the illustrations are fabulous. I just don't think anything else needs to be said.
Love this book! The illustrations are wonderful. There is sparse text but it works. Can't wait to share it in my classroom!
Never too old for picture books, or alphabet books (I collect them) and this one does double duty - collective nouns! Always fun.
Collective nouns are delightful and they get their due in this graphically pleasing and informative page turner.
Awesome! Beautiful artwork, wonderful wordplay, and informative too. I hope I never meet a "shiver of sharks".
The art in this book is stunning, paired with collective nouns and a few facts about the animals involved.
Very cool alphabet book! Nice way to weave facts into a book and in an interesting and unique format.
Awesome illustrations paired with interesting animal facts... An amazing combination!
An ABC book, a book about plural nouns, a book with interesting facts on animals.
Stunning graphics. Fanciful names for groups of animals.
Collective nouns rule. Plus, beautiful, beautiful prints.
Clever, beautifully designed alphabet book.
beautiful and informative alphabet book
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