An Australian ABC of Animals

by Bronwyn Bancroft

An Australian ABC of Animals , a lavishly illustrated alphabet book by well-known Aboriginal artist Bronwyn Bancroft, is a must-have for every home and library. The book is both a delightful introduction to the alphabet, and a unique exploration of Australian wildlife—some familiar, others more unusual—as seen through the eyes of an indigenous artist. Animals kangaroo, bandicoot, wombat, echidna, cockatoo, frog, and goanna—and many more.

Genres: Australia, Childrens, Picture Books, Animals

24 pages, Paperback

First published April 30, 2004

About the author

Born in Tenterfield, northern New South Wales, Bronwyn Bancroft is a descendant of the Djanbun clan of the Bundjalung nation.

Utilising many mediums, Bronwyn's artistic practice extends from public artworks to children's book illustrations. She is represented in many collections both in Australia and overseas, including: the National Gallery of Australia, Art Gallery of New South Wales, Art Gallery of Western Australian, Australian Museum, Artbank, Newark Museum, The Kelton Foundation, Westpac USA, and the Volkerkunde Museum. Her work is also held in the private collections of the Prime Minister of Turkey, and the Governor of Tokyo. Bronwyn has exhibited extensively around the world.

Reviews

[Prabhjot Kaur · Rating 4 out of 5]

An Australian ABC of Animals is a book about well Australian animals as the title suggests. It is a really good way to teach kids different and native Australian animals, some of which I myself didn't know about. What I most enjoyed are the illustrations which take inspiration from Aboriginal art. There is a note from the author/illustrator that says, My artwork is not traditional, but when you are an Aboriginal artist, you're not 'just' an artist - you're a teacher, a facilitator. That's why I used the words take inspiration from Aboriginal art in my review.

4 stars

[Mitch Reynolds · Rating 5 out of 5]

An Australian ABC Of Animals (2005) by Bronwyn Bancroft is a wonderful book.

This book teaches children the English alphabet in a fun and interesting way. Through gorgeous illustrations children learn also about lots of wonderful Australian animals and learn to have a love and appreciation for them. The illustrations are simply amazing. I adore them. The level of detail is excellent. So beautiful to look at. Visually outstanding from this extremely talented Aboriginal artist. This book would work very well also as a book on a coffee table.

Very well put together and creative. Enjoyable for children and adults alike.

A must-read.

[Foxglow · Rating 5 out of 5]

Adorable.

[Max Bondorovsky · Rating 1 out of 5]

Z is zebra lionfish. What a way to confuse a young kid.

[Jack Kirby and the X-man · Rating 2 out of 5]

In this alphabet book there is an illustration on one animal for each letter.

Given the simple design and idea - the success of this book really hinges on Bronwyn Bancroft's detailed artwork. I'm not a fan. I just found the incredibly intricate illustrations of the animals in too stark a contrast with the solid single colour background. That being said I'm sure many will enjoy the art - and thus enjoy this simple alphabet book.

[Leila T. · Rating 4 out of 5]

The kid and I love this book; all the letters and animals are so clear that she's two and she already recognizes some of the letters and a great deal of the animals.

[Pennie · Rating 4 out of 5]

This beautifully illustrated book has many Australian animals for children to learn and talk about.

[Katie Gonzalez · Rating 3 out of 5]

Any ABC book that uses X-Ray loses stars. Otherwise it is good. The illustrations are wonderful

[Elizabeth]

If you liked Bronwyn Bancroft's other Australian alphabet books, you'll like this one.

She uses "x-ray" (no picture) for X, but "X" is such a difficult letter than I'm inclined to cut alphabet books some slack on that.