Alphabeasts: A Hide & Seek Alphabet Book

Vibrant nature scenes camouflage animals both ordinary and exotic, real and imagined, in an abecedarian work that offers little ones the ``thrill of the hunt.'' With its preponderance of teals, brick reds and deep purples, the brightly colored artwork imparts a subtle Southwestern feel, and Bernhard ( What's Maggie Up To? ) effectively uses the ample white space to set off the square, bordered illustrations. Smaller squares highlight the featured letters in complementing colors, and miniature images of the animals appear on the bottom corner of each page (presumably to assist those not familiar with xenops, vicunas or iguanas). The artwork's very simplicity results in a somewhat static quality here, though the (sometimes surprisingly difficult) challenge of discovering the concealed creatures may keep youngsters happily occupied--a game that puts an agreeable spin on a familiar genre. Ages 4-8. (Apr.)