An Alphabet of Animals

From alligator to zebra, including the umbrella bird and xenops, the animals in Wormell's alphabet are depicted on ivory backgrounds in striking linoleum prints. Thick black lines surround muted colors--a swan glides through dappled waters; a plumed, red-breasted quetzal perches on a branch; a hippopotamus stands before inky waters. The design and typography of the book, like the Helprin/Van Allsburg Swan Lake , is elegant. A circus-poster tiger stares out from a bookplate on the dark green cloth cover; embossed gold letters adorn the spine. Wormell's prints are masterfully executed, but his animals are staid and somber--perhaps more suitable for a reader interested in a coffee-table art book than for a child exploring the world of letters and animals. All ages. (Nov.)