Don't let the name of Alphabeasties scare you away! The alligator is made of multiple typeface letter A's, for instance.

There is more, too, as for each letter there are several boxes on the page showing other pictures that begin with the letter. There are flaps to lift and pages to unfold to reveal the entire picture, so children will be engaged and be able to interact with this book to their delight. The alligator page unfolds to show how long the alligator is, and the giraffe page unfolds upwards to show its height. Such fun! This book is one that could be read over and over, the best kind of children's book. ( )

Description misleads - there are plenty of flaps, but not 26!  And overall the book could have been more.  Too many of the fonts looked too alike to me - and since this is supposed to be a 'primer' I would have liked more descriptiveness.  The bat, sheep, and penguin pages were the best, so get a preview to see one of them before bothering with the rest of the book. ( )

Alphabeasties is an alphabet book that goes beyond A is for Apple. It explores the world of letters and typeface, it highlights the cool and amazing things you can do with letters besides just making words with them. It is a wonderful choice for a slightly older picture book reader, or families with kids who span ages/interests. The older kids will enjoy the intricate and creative depictions, they might spot that on the F page the fishing line is made of the words fishing line all in a line until it gets the hook, then it says fishinghookfishinghook right into the F fish’s mouth! While younger kids will benefit from the A is for Alligator B is for Bat structure. Not to mention that typophile parents will totally geek out with all the cool, and surprisingly well suited, typeface. ( )

Spectacular book ( )

"Blocky or small, / thick or tall, / Roundish, slope-y, / Fancy, or dopey, / Letters look different in all different places, / That's because they have different typefaces!"

And so begins the preface to this most unusual alphabet-book, which is really a love-song to typography. Each of the twenty-six "alphabeasties" in Sharon Werner and Sarah Forss' book is made up of letters. The zebra, seen on the front cover, is composed entirely of Zs in "American Typewriter." The hippopotamus is entirely made up of lower and upper case Hs in "Helvetica Rounded." Each letter of the alphabet, in addition to having its own "letter-beast," is shown in a number of different types, with observations on their character: "This lower-case g has a tail that grins." "This r is really straight."

With an appealing color scheme that runs toward blues and greens (although an occasional red does slip through), fold-out pages that allow for larger depictions (check out the octopus!), and a playful engagement with the typeface itself, Alphabeasties is another winner from the independent publisher, Blue Apple Books. Although very young children may find the talk of type rather confusing, older children who already know their ABCs can learn a lot from this one! So can their elders, if it comes to that... ( )