ABC Animals

by Christopher Evans

Not your typical ABC book!

Genres: Picture Books, Animals

52 pages, Hardcover

Published October 15, 2020

About the author

Christopher D. Evans also writes as Christopher Carpenter, Nathan Elliott, Robert Knight and John Lyon.

See authors with similar names.
Christopher D. Evans was born in 1951 in Tredegar and educated at Cardiff University between 1969–1972, and Swansea University 1973–4. He now lives in South London, where he teaches science full-time at a secondary school. His first novel, Capella’s Golden Eyes, was published in 1980. With Robert Holdstock, he co-edited the Other Edens Series of original science fiction and fantasy anthologies which appeared in the late 1980s. Aztec Century (Gollancz, 1993) won the BSFA Award for Best Novel of 1993 and was runner-up for the Wales Book of the Year Award. Christopher also writes as Christopher Carpenter, Nathan Elliott, Robert Knight and John Lyon.

Reviews

[Jillian · Rating 5 out of 5]

ABC ANIMALS is one of the coolest alphabet books I have seen in awhile! The digital woodcuts, the layout of the pages, the shadow size comparisons, the use of three fonts...

I'm taking this F&G and making it into posters for my library.

[Lynn · Rating 5 out of 5]

Evans has created this stunning picture book in a technique called digital woodcut. The jacket flap describes this as "images drawn by hand in an illustration software, point by point and shape by shape." The results are absolutely gorgeous and the oversize format of the book is a perfect vehicle for the intensely toned and intricate illustrations. Each illustration fills the page with the opposing page showing the letter of the alphabet in print and cursive at the top of a ruled set of lines, a large image of the letter that repeats the etching design of the animal and at the bottom the name of the animal.

My only quibble with this book is a wish that the animal name had been created in a darker tone.

Each and every illustration is simply amazing and I wish I could frame them all. Many of the animals depicted look so vibrant, I almost expected them to step out of the book. Do NOT miss this book! It is a must purchase alphabet and picture book collections everywhere.

I read this in galley and cannot wait to purchase the finished copy.

[Amy · Rating 4 out of 5]

A great ABC books for little ones. This is what an ABC book should be! The illustrations of animals are large and bright. This would make this a good ABC book for a classroom, so that all of the kids can see the pictures and letters clearly. The artwork is unique. Christopher Evans has created bold "digital woodcuts", which he explains in detail in the endpapers as "somewhere between an impressionist painting and a mechanical drawing". Sometimes, ABC books are too small, the illustrations are vague or the words are wholly unfamiliar to the reader. That's what I love about this one -- bold, bright pictures and zoo animals will allow pre-literate children to get a strong handle on the letters and their sounds.

[Marsha Lambert · Rating 5 out of 5]

A strikingly beautiful animal alphabet picture book which includes both familiar and rare creatures from land and sea. The illustrations are described as digital woodcuts. A delightful collection which will appeal to children and the adults who explore this book with them.

[Mary · Rating 5 out of 5]

Oversized illustrations made with digitally produced woodcuts are the strength of this book. It is a work of art! There is no text except the letters of the alphabet and the names of the featured animals.
Use to highlight the artist's technique.
Add to the collection if lacking in ABC books.

[Syntha Green · Rating 4 out of 5]

Beautifully illustrated

[Catie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Plain and simple, but sometimes that's what you want. I'm going to try this with my niece to see how many letters she can remember.