The Alphabet of Bugs: An ABC Book

The team behind 2013’s The Other Colors returns with a second alliterative alphabet book, setting 26 insects against unusual background colors, many of which will be new to readers young and old. The generously sized photos offer detailed, up-close looks at the insects’ translucent wings, gleaming carapaces, and knobby proboscises; equally large capital letters appear on the left-hand pages, echoing the appearance of wooden alphabet blocks. While most of Gates’s insect-plus-color phrases read smoothly enough (“Sphinx Moth savors Salmon surroundings”), as with the previous book, others (“Question Mark Butterfly quells Quinacridone Magenta”; “Velvet ant vitalizes vague Vanilla vector”) can be a muddle. Ages 3–5. (June)