The Skull Alphabet Book

July 1, 2002
Gr 1-4-Twenty-six mammal skulls from anteater to zebra are highlighted. Readers can see each skull, but are not told immediately to which animal it belongs. In some cases the features of the skull itself give it away, as in elephant or ram. Other times, Pallotta gives verbal clues: "A sly person can identify this skull-there are only three letters in its name" points to fox. There are also visual hints such as the mousetrap next to the cat skull and the bananas upon which the monkey skull rests. Others, such as baboon and gorilla, are particularly tough. On a spread between V and W the names of each animal featured in the alphabet are hidden among drawings of non-mammal skulls. In addition to the clues, the author works in scattered facts about skulls in general and about the individual animals. This all works pretty well, but a "hidden presidents" feature is less successful. Most illustrations include one or more U.S. presidents' faces hidden in the background or even on the skull itself. This extra feature may please kids who just love to look, but the incongruous portraits are obtrusive and detract from the cohesiveness of the theme, which is otherwise fairly appealing and effective. With little available for primary-age kids on this intriguing topic, this title is worth considering despite its flaws.-Steven Engelfried, Beaverton City Library, OR

Copyright 2002 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

September 1, 2002
\deflang1033\pard\plain\f3\fs24 Gr. 2-5. Pallotta and Masiello, who created such popular alphabet books as\plain\f3\fs24" The Icky Bug Alphabet Book \plain\f3\fs24 (1990), team up in their most sophisticated offering yet. Each letter of the alphabet is represented by a beautiful, detailed oil painting of an animal's skull. In another twist, the name of the animal isn't revealed, but clues to its identity are given by highlighting various parts of the animal's skull, such as the teeth. Other clues are in the background--the skull for C lies beside a mousetrap. Also hidden in the pictures are small portraits of all of the U. S. presidents, an amusing but sometimes distracting touch. Obviously this is not meant to help kids learn their ABCs, but some children will pore over it, learning a good deal of animal science and practicing their logic skills along the way. (Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2002, American Library Association.)