ABC ZooBorns!

May 14, 2012
Bleiman and Eastland introduce a new group of criminally cute baby zoo animals for each letter of the alphabet in a companion to 2010’s ZooBorns. Crisp, closeup photographs feature cheetahs, flamingos, marmosets, and sloths, among others, while lighthearted prose emphasizes the animals’ unique characteristics: “I is for impala. Our long legs are perfect for leaping. Let’s go for a run!” Extra points for a solid X entry: “X is for X-ray tetra. Attention, science students—my see-through body is very revealing.” Endnotes explore each animal in greater detail. Ages 2–up.

June 1, 2012
With shelves full of ABC books and animal-baby books, is there room for another one that combines the two? The ZooBorn brand by Bleiman and Eastland presents 26 baby animals that will have children keening to their parents, "Can I have one?" Similar to their title ZooBorns (2010), each page has an adorable close-up photograph of a baby animal from Anteater to "ZOOBORNS!" Lions and giraffes, vicunas and dholes appear in between, among others. The graphic image of each capital letter includes a silhouette of the adult animal, along with a quote from the baby about its young life. The baby panda, lying flat like a rug, says, "Phew...I'm flat-out pooped from playing with my panda pals." This is more about ramping up cuteness than actually providing information on the species represented, and the language is at odds with the ABC format. While the panda example has the appropriate phonetic reinforcement, others do not. The hardest words to read will be the animal names; nyala (a type of antelope) and Ural owl may trip up adult readers as well as children. The endnotes include conservation-status information with a short description on the specific animal and its zoo home. But that is just dressing on simply adorable infants. If looking for cuteness, pick this one. For alphabet learning, try something else. (Picture book. 4-8)

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September 1, 2012

PreS-All of these animal babies are extremely cuddly and appear in a full-color photo, one to a page, with the uppercase letter, a one- or two-line descriptive phrase, and a small image showing its basic shape. Some of the animals are shown with parents, some are held by what appears to be zoo staff, and some are on their own. A spread at the end of the book gives the conservation status of each one, its species, a short description, and the location of the zoo in which it resides. The introduction explains that the book's purpose is to teach the alphabet, but, more importantly, to show the need to study animals in zoos in order to understand them in the wild and to develop ways to protect endangered species. Not all of the animals are endangered, as explained on the back pages. Aside from the cuteness factor, and the simple ABC format, the book's usefulness is limited. It is mostly a browsing item for parents to share with young children. The photographs are wonderful, the color and simple phrases fun, but there is little actual information that would point children toward conservation facts.-Susan Lissim, Dwight School, New York City

Copyright 2012 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.