From School Library Journal Grade 3 Up–Although organized as a conventional alphabet book, the letters here are far from ordinary. McLimans has created a black-and-white iconic representation of 26 endangered animals, and his art is striking. For example, the newt's eyes protrude slightly from the sides of N, while its tongue emerges from the lower point. An accompanying box on each page includes a small, stylized red-and-white image of the animal plus information about its class, habitat, range, and threats to its survival. Back matter includes a paragraph about each creature along with a list of Web sites for organizations that help endangered animals and books for further reading. This title will serve more as a tool to raise awareness and a place to begin searching for information rather than as a source of facts. However, the arresting graphics and clean design will hold viewers' attention and create interest in the topic. The book could also serve as a starting point for art and design projects for students well above elementary school age.–Kathy Piehl, Minnesota State University, Mankato Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
Classroom Implications: This book has an innovative approach to the traditional alphabet book. It operates as an alphabet book and nonfiction text that advocates around the critical social issue of protecting endangered species. Students can not only use this text to learn the alphabet, but students can learn about the animals and organizations that support the preservation of the species. This text is also an important tool to support English language learners and special education students in the upper grades.
Skills and Strategies
- Letter learning & symbol making
- Nonfiction reading
- Social action
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