A Zeal of Zebras

Starred review from August 8, 2011
From the graphic designers of the Harry Potter franchise, this ABC book of collective nouns couples informative text with digitally created tableaus reminiscent of vintage posters that wryly play on the terms. A “galaxy” of starfish takes on a celestial appearance en masse; an “ostentation” of peacocks (“they make excellent ‘guards’ ”) stands at attention in a spread with hints of Andy Warhol; a “pandemonium” of parrots perches at awkward angles, vibrating against a lime green backdrop; and a “troubling” of goldfish swims outside a glass bowl, suggesting a world turned topsy-turvy. The thoughtful and provocative portraits will leave readers teasing out their subtleties. All ages.

Starred review from August 15, 2011

What do you call a group of camels? A caravan. Of cobras? A quiver!

This unique book of collective nouns is skillfully arranged in alphabetical order by the noun, beginning with A for an Aurora (of polar bears), B for a Bale (of turtles), all the way to Z for a Zeal (of zebras). What unifies the book and makes it zing are the artistic, graphically designed illustrations rendered in Adobe Photoshop, which are beautiful enough to hang individually on walls. Each letter has a double spread with two bites of information about the creature on the left side and the visual interpretation on the right. "A Venom of spiders. The majority of spiders in the world are solitary, but there are some species, aptly named social spiders, that live together in the thousands. These spiders cooperate to hunt, build large webs, and raise their young." Opposite, on a turquoise field, said venom (of orb spiders) set about their weaving, the strands of their web white against the background, delicate legs extending in varying shades of brown from their black bodies. Some collective names, like a Hum of bees, may not startle (though they will undoubtedly please), while others are unexpected: a Galaxy of starfish, a Journey of giraffes, a Nest of crocodiles and a Pandemonium of parrots.

From the mesmerizing cover to the dazzling endpapers, this is a fabulously fascinating work of wondrous words. (Informational picture book. 5-10)

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