Animal Characters: An Alphabet

The concept of this bookby the creator of Manhattanis ordinary and commonplace: one animal for each character in the alphabet. The art, however, is extraordinary and exquisite. Each animal, framed within a geometric plane of color, stands or sits as if posing for a camera. Knaff's conceptual space is highly stylized. Different shades of intense hues are expertly used to produce an opulent texture, reminiscent of color use in ancient Egyptian art. Attention to detail makes this particularly appealing to young readers, who will find the distortions, exaggerations and postures of these unique beings amusing: the baboons' faces are stretched and longer than their bodies, the ostrich has human legs, the iguana is nibbling the dot off the ""i'' and a kangaroo carrries a ``k'' in its pouch. Ages 3-up. (March)