Animalicious: A Quirky ABC Book

by Anna Dewdney, Reed Duncan, Claudia Boldt (Illustrations)

A seriously silly ABC book packed with imaginary animals from the creator of the Llama Llama books, Anna Dewdney, and Reed Duncan.

From A is for Anonymouse and I is for Incredibull, to K is for Kangarude and R is for Rocktopus, this ABC book will have readers laughing out loud as they learn the alphabet with animals they may never have seen--or even heard of--before.

Genres: Picture Books, Animals, Humor, Childrens, Juvenile

32 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2019

About the author

Anna Dewdney was an award-winning children's-book author, illustrator, teacher, mother, and enthusiastic proponent of literacy and reading aloud to children. She was the author of the bestselling Llama Llama Red Pajama series of picturebooks, among many others. She lived with her partner Reed Duncan in Vermont where she worked, gardened, and spent time with her daughters and dogs.

Reviews

[Jon Nakapalau · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great ABC book!

[Marcie · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love alphabet books with word play. This could pair with Antics, Animal Tale, and other clever word play alphabets.

[Teresa Reads · Rating 4 out of 5]

The first thing any reader needs to know about this book is that it is not meant to teach about animals. Nor is it a true alphabet book. When you heed these two important facts, this book is really fun and clever. Sometimes the animal's name is in the new one like in "Grabbit" (a rabbit who tries to make off with the letter 'G' and . Other times it isn't, like in "Piethon" (a snake eating a pie). The illustrations are fun too. I especially enjoyed the ostrich with an attitude. Younger readers might not get the humor, but older ones who want to think outside the box will truly enjoy it.

[Kayla · Rating 4 out of 5]

Definitely an abc book written more for adults than kids. Too many of the words would be too abstract for kids to understand. However, the artwork is bright and appealing, so the book would likely be enjoyed by kids as well.

[Christine · Rating 5 out of 5]

Cute quirky book about misunderstood animal names.

[Gina · Rating 2 out of 5]

Doesn't really fit anywhere. The puns and sight gags are often too out there for young readers who would enjoy the silliness, but not clever enough to make this a fun choice for adults. I understand the idea that seemed good, but this is underdeveloped.

[emyrose8 · Rating 3 out of 5]

Very clever! It took me a bit to figure out some of the animals... what the animals are doing gives you a hint as to why they are so named. I’m not sure how much kids are going to pick up since some of the names involve some unique vocabulary.

[Becky Loader · Rating 2 out of 5]

Loved the words and the ABC concept, but the art just didn't thrill me.

[Barbra · Rating 2 out of 5]

I would not introduce this alphabet book to young readers as I think they would be very confused by the made up creatures and misspelled words. However children aged eight to ten may enjoy the silliness and get the jokes behind the creatures.

[Rose Rosetree · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is supposed to be a "seriously silly ABC book packed with imaginary animals."

Okaaay. The pictures are whimsical. So is the font, for that matter. Colors are soothing, too. What's not there to like?

Well, seems to me the authors have made a fairly common mistake. If this book is really written for preschoolers, it fails.

* Sorry, but why would a three-year old have an urgent need to learn words like "Doodlebug." (Are adults al"?)

* How are young learners to comprehend a sophisticated visual pun like "Flatapus."

* Surely it's far more important for these kids to learn words in common use, like cat and turtle and please.

RATING THIS BOOK

I'm going to give it FIVE STARS. Here's why.

If you take care of a toddler, you're mostly exhausted and otherwise tense, because of any toddler's fearlessness combined with the lack of common sense and the very active little feet.

Adults need a break. Adult caregivers need conversations and even some adult cleverness.
Seems to me the intended audience here is the adult caregivers.

As for the toddlers being read to, they're used to humoring grownups. And they may NOT wish to spend all their waking hours asking their sometimes grumpy caregivers, "What does that mean?"

My hunch is, most kids will clam up and enjoy the pretty pictures. Maybe they'll notice how their caregiver seems a bit happier than usual.

No harm done.

[Jj · Rating 1 out of 5]

I like Anna Dewdney!

I like Claudia Boldt!

I do, I do!

However, I did not like this book. The whimsical idea is promising, but I found the whole thing too confusing and rambling and just all over the place. Is there humor here? Sure, but not enough to bridge the gap between what are often out-there puns and the odd related illustrations. However, kids might love it. I'm hoping that's the case. I'll have to get it into some young reader hands and see what happens...

Thanks to Penguin Young Readers for the review copy.

[Adeline Chance · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a great ABCs book. I like how it took more of a quirky take on the book. It is so easy to just give animals, but this book took it more creatively. It covers the whole alphabet with a clever play on words. I think this would be good for children learning the alphabet, but students who have a little more understanding of it, because it could be more confusing. I think this is a great book. It is very creative and the pictures are cool and I think it will keep students attention. I would suggest this to anyone wanting to make the alphabet more familiar to their child or students.

[Villa Park Public Library · Rating 4 out of 5]

What do you call a snake in a hardhat? A boa constructor. With puns or play-on words, we are introduced to characters in the animal kingdom, from A to Z. Stupendously silly illustrations work in tandem with made-up animal names like dust bunny, flatapus, and piethon to reinvent the classic ABC story for a memorable lesson on letters.

Check this book out at the Villa Park Public Library!

[Lisa · Rating 2 out of 5]

There are many ABC books about animals, but this one is different. Full of puns and funny drawings, the animals names have been altered to reflect what they are doing (like Hippopotamess or Polar Bare)

A silly look at the alphabet. Some of the puns are amusing, it's certainly interesting, but if the intended audience is the same as for a regular ABC book, I don't think they have the cultural maturity to understand.

[Alice · Rating 2 out of 5]

I just went to a workshop that talked about children's books and pictures. What a child might like, may not be what an adult likes. So as an adult, I thought this was beyond silly and beyond ridiculous and a bit of a waste of time. Kids will probably love it, so give it a try!

Having met another author who I will say is probably one of the leaders in children's ABC books, this one seems weak, and not comparable. (J.P. you know who you are!)

[Mama Bearian · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book uses puns and animal-related words to create a funny alphabet with "animals" you've never seen or heard of before. For instance, B is for "boa constructor," a snake who builds, and E is for "elephantom," a ghostly elephant. This would be a great one for older kids who would understand the puns, as it takes a little bit of time to figure some of them out.

[Elizabeth · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a very cute book that plays on words and uses adorable illustrations for the recreated animals. It is definitely an alphabet book that would be most enjoyed by upper elementary as they would understand the play on words. It will be over the younger children's heads except that they might enjoy the silly illustrations.

[Amanda · Rating 2 out of 5]

Confusing and clever. Who is the audience for this book?! Written for adults in a children's format. I laughed several times. An older, witty child may get this, but would they want to read a "baby book"?

[Lynn Davidson · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a fun book in words and illustrations for those young readers who know their animals and alphabet well. Because it's a combination of pun and animals it is not a serious book from which to learn.

[Kelly · Rating 3 out of 5]

Silly and worth taking your time reading.

[Bethe · Rating 3 out of 5]

Bookaday #34. Not your usual alphabet book which might confuse young readers who don’t understand all the puns, most of which are really clever!

[Sarah · Rating 3 out of 5]

I think some of the concepts might be beyond the scope of an alphabet book.

[Jillian · Rating 2 out of 5]

I wanted to like this book, but it just fell flat. There's humor there, but it's too advanced for the kids who'll be looking for an "alphabet animal" book.

[Karrie Chajkowski · Rating 3 out of 5]

Animals combined with a fun play on words in an alphabet format.

[Sarah · Rating 3 out of 5]

Fun - but perhaps more so for adults and older kids than younger kids learning their ABCs - these punny animals sometimes don't make sense to a ABC learner.

[Robin Raines-Bond · Rating 5 out of 5]

Laugh out loud creative language fun while learning about the alphabet and animals.

[Pam · Rating 5 out of 5]

Smart and funny - these animals and letters really are quirky! Funny illustrations

[Rebecca Gomez · Rating 3 out of 5]

I like the silly illustrations and word play, but this book would have been much better without the corny and poorly executed rhyming intro and conclusions.

[Kristin Nelson · Rating 3 out of 5]

Clever for grownups and older kids who like word play

[Miss Sarah · Rating 3 out of 5]

Unique animals that start with every letter from a to z are presented two per letter with just their names. Preschool and up