A is for Australian Animals

by Frané Lessac

There are so many amazing animals to be found in Australia -- and many of them are found nowhere else in the world.

Discover thirty-eight of the weird and wonderful creatures of Down Under -- from the iconic kangaroo to the puzzling echidna; from the tiny crusader bug to the enormous saltwater crocodile; from the adorable quokka to the terrifying Tasmanian devil. Did you know that lyrebirds can mimic almost any sound? Or that an oblong turtle has the longest neck of any turtle in the world? Vibrant paintings and fascinating facts introduce readers to a wide array of incredible animals in this vivid celebration of the fauna that makes Australia unique.

Genres: Picture Books, Animals, Childrens

48 pages, Hardcover

Published August 7, 2018

About the author

Frané Lessac is an author and illustrator, having created beautiful illustrations for more than forty books. Frané’s first book My Little Island, was named a Children's Book of the Year by the Library of Congress, a compilation of her paintings from Montserrat. She has contributed her distinctive paintings to many picture books, including On the Same Day in March named Top Ten Science Books by ALA Booklist. The Donkey of Gallipoli, named an Honor Book for the Children’s Book Council’s Book of the Year Awards, Kirkus Review’s Best Books, CBC NTSS Books for Young People USA, and an USBBY Outstanding International Books. Her contribution to Amnesty International’s “We Are All Born Free” celebrating the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, has been translated into more than 30 languages and an USBBY Outstanding International Book. In 2010, Frané was awarded The Muriel Barwell Award for Distinguished Service to Children's Literature. She is married to children's author, Mark Greenwood, and they have collaborated on many children's books including is The Greatest Liar on Earth and Drummer Boy of John John. Frané constantly visits schools, libraries and festivals in Australia and overseas sharing the process of writing and illustrating books empowering both children and adults.

Reviews

[J.L. Slipak · Rating 5 out of 5]

MY THOUGHTS:

I received this book in exchange for my honest review.

This is a lovely picture book, hardcover, with a brightly illustrated book jacket. Although the title does read, “A” is For Australian Animals, this book provides examples of animals for all letters of the alphabet. On each page, the author gives a number of animal examples and little stories for each.
Pages are large and brightly rendered with lovely hand-drawn illustrations. This is a wonderful learning tool for very young children and first readers, with the help of a parent’s guidance.

Very entertaining and educational.

[Sheri · Rating 4 out of 5]

This colorful book is a non-fiction book about animals unique to Australia. There is a lot of extra text for explaining the type of animal and where it lives and traits in small print and a page at the end showing where these animals are located in the Australian continent. Good use for a class study of Australia and its animals or for comparing after a zoo visit. There are truly unique animals in Australia.

[Aeicha · Rating 5 out of 5]

Frane Lessac’s A is For Australian Animals is a wonderfully unique and enchanting alphabet book that stars some of the most wildly cool animals found in Australia. Little readers will be absolutely captivated by the animals presented and fascinating, accessible facts included about each one. Through vivid and stunning folk art style illustrations, Lessac wonderfully brings these animals and their habitats to life. Readers will want to flip through this book again and again! 

[Kris · Rating 4 out of 5]

My third grade teachers are going to love this. Perfect for reading aloud the sentence or two for each animal, brainstorm some questions and then have students choose an animal to research. The little fact boxes/bubbles are so fun to read. Allows for teachers of younger grades to read just the sentence and a fact or two and still enjoy a nonfiction book as a whole group readaloud.

[Maddie Crow · Rating 4 out of 5]

A is for Australian Animals takes the reader on a discovery of 38 different kids of animals. The kids will love this book filled with intriguing pictures to look at and observe. This is the perfect book to have at home or in class for young ones to look at and practice their letters. Simple and engaging the book will be a favorite.

[Ad Astra · Rating 4 out of 5]

Delightful non fiction book. It's pretty in depth for an alphabet animal book, offering several animals for most of these examples. What I particularly enjoyed was seeing the animals in a landscape and natural habitat with all sorts of the animals around. Some with family, some dug underground, and others among plants all on the same page. It's a rich book for curious minds.

[Brittany Schulz | Fiction & Friction · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another children’s book full of amazing illustrations. Being an adult and reading ‘adult’ books you sometimes forget the beauty of a good picture book. So glad I bought these for my daughter to enjoy.

[Alexis Munoz · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very informational and educational! The book goes in alphabetical order listing animals from Australia and going into detail about each anima! I got to learn more about one of my favorite animals the sugar glider! It has great illustrations too.

[Alyssa Fraga · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book goes in alphabetical order listing animals from Australia and going into detail about them! It is great book!

[Ma. Theresa · Rating 5 out of 5]

this is such. a fun book! As a kid, I've always loved reading encyclopedia and this is how it felt like reading. The pictures and the facts are very fun yet informative. plus, I love animals