cover image African Animal Alphabet

African Animal Alphabet

Beverly and Dereck Joubert. National Geographic, $16.95 (48p) ISBN 978-1-4263-0781-2

This alphabet book features vivid photographs of African animals. Readers will recognize a cheetah, elephant, and lion, but this husband-and-wife naturalist team also highlights unsung species like the tsessebe, the umbrette, and the dung beetle. Even X finds a match: "Xenopus bullfrogs like to sit in water that is extra shallow." Appended animal facts and a glossary for words like "vociferous" underscore the book's dual focus on diverse animal characteristics and language development. Ages 2%E2%80%935. (May)