O Is for Orca: A Pacific Northwest Alphabet Book

by Andrea Helman, Art Wolfe (Illustrator)

Presents the letters of the alphabet with photographs of animals and other wildlife in the Pacific Northwest

Genres: Picture Books, Childrens, Geography

32 pages, Hardcover

First published August 1, 1995

Reviews

[Janet · Rating 3 out of 5]

My usual thought about a book that is illustrated with photos it that it becomes dated quickly. This on published in 1995 will not as the photos are very close up shots of the animals or the landscape. There is that question of is that a photo of a lynx because in my locality that is a bobcat. Speaking of locality the photos do jump back and forth between the Pacific Northwest and Alaska which sort of broke the flow of just what is the locality of these various animals.

[Kaitlyn Konsmo · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a great book about the beauty and diversity of the Pacific Northwest. I loved the earthy quality of the pictures, and the descriptions were interesting and informative. It can reach all kids' learning needs with both the alphabet incorporation and the instruction on animals, plants, and landscape. It was a good reminder of everything we enjoy in our region!

Guided Reading: N/A (estimated P)
ATOS: N/A (estimated 4.2)
Six Traits: Organization

[Dana · Rating 5 out of 5]

An ABC concept book for anyone who is interested in the Pacific Northwest. Living here makes this book an especially enjoyable read with my wee ones because we can discuss each animal or flora/fauna on the pages. Full color, beautiful photography enhances each letter of the alphabet. Grab it!

[Amelia · Rating 3 out of 5]

Nothing too special about this book- it was still useful to go over the ABC with the kiddos with this one. And we got to learn a bit about where we live along the way. Still wasn’t a favorite with the kiddos tho.

[Tessa Herlofson · Rating 4 out of 5]

"O is for Orca" is a mix between and alphabet book and an informational picture book. Each page presents a letter and tells of an animal that begins with that letter. for example on the second page it shows the letter B and says that B is for bear. Then it gives a small paragraph saying that black bears are born "without teeth or fur."Even though this book is an alphabet book, the text is a little more complex so it would be more suitable for children in grade school rather than early childhood reading.
Starting with the cover, the whole book is very colorful and visually captivating. The cover has an orange and yellow border with a large picture of Orcas swimming in a lake. The front matter is a bright orange and has the alphabet going across the bottom in a lighter orange. Each page gives a letter of the alphabet in in a different color and a big picture of the animal the text is typically in white because it is placed over a picture. Some of the pages have a thin colorful border while others do not. Most of the pages are a single page spread with a few full page spreads scattered though out the book. The images in this book are not illustrated but photographed, making it even more of an informational text.

[Sarah A · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is an interesting book! From the title I thought it would be all about sealife but it focuses on lots of natural and not so natural features of the Pacific Northwest. It is a good book with some beautiful pictures. However it's a slightly hard as a kid picture book. Lots of very long complex and unnecessary descriptive terms and whilst the photos are beautiful, they are not always easy to relate to the words.

[Shawna · Rating 3 out of 5]

I love that there is a Pacific Northwest Alphabet book. Growing up all over the northwest it made me happy to know that it's beauty is being appreciated.

[Nancy · Rating 5 out of 5]

I’ve long been a fan of Art Wolfe’s nature photographs so was delighted to find examples of his work in an ABC book.

[Monica · Rating 3 out of 5]

Beautiful pictures. Especially engaging for those living in the NorthWest US.

[Tara]

Great alphabet book. Good for literacy and science. Book talk in science. Good for local northwest.