Note: I accessed a digital review copy of this book through Edelweiss. ( )

This is an alphabet picture book about sea mammals. A-Z on different animals students may have never thought of. I like this book because it might be a good opener for a lesson on sea mammal, or the ocean. It could also be a reference for a project. This book is also filled with pictures of a cute animals. I would use this book for students age 6-10. ( )

The alphabet book is a staple in the children's library, and readers have a vast selection to peruse in this sub genre of the picture book world. Some of the choices are fabulous, and some are much less so. This particular selection is unfortunately of the latter category. It uses small paragraphs to describe a sea mammal corresponding to each letter of the alphabet, with corresponding realistic illustrations. The pictures are attractive and detailed, but the text is just average. The book conveys a lot of fascinating facts, but the reading is too dry. Especially bothersome was that the authors chose such a narrow subject they couldn't find animals for certain letters of the alphabet. And not just for the letter X, which everyone has trouble with, but for other letters, like Q and N.The story uses a wise dose of humor to address these gaps, and I particularly liked the page that was absent any animals to depict an extinct species. However, the repetition of letters that couldn't be matched to an animal just made me feel that the authors should have chosen a different subject. Pallotta has written numerous alphabet books, and many are good, but this one felt like the author was reaching for a new subject to make yet another alphabet book. My youngest daughter loves animals, so we enjoy skimming through the pages of this book, if not actually reading it through. ( )