Animalia

by Graeme Base

Delightful book with pages for each letter of the alphabet. Wonderfully elaborate illustrations of animals representing each letter.

Genres: Picture Books, Childrens, Animals, Fiction, Art, Fantasy, Poetry

32 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1986

About the author

Graeme Rowland Base is a British-Australian author and artist of picture books. He is perhaps best known for his second book, Animalia published in 1986, and third book The Eleventh Hour which was released in 1989.

Reviews

[Calista · Rating 5 out of 5]

LOVE! LOVE! LOVE! Brilliant Book.

I have read many ABC book to the kids over the years and this by far is the very best of them. There is alliteration - love it, and it good alliteration too. There are all kinds of animals, instruments, food and miscellany on the page that starts with the letter. Sometimes you have to think how it's being used. This was a joy. It was the smallest details that were so enjoyable.

The never-gonna-stop nephew looked at this for an hour looking for all the little details. Both kids read this with joy. They both gave it 5 stars and they want to keep the book. I have to make sure the nephew doesn't hide it in his room so I can't return it to the library. Why, oh why did I never know of Graeme Base growing up. He is brilliant.

I have so many favorite things from this. I love what he did with 'X'. I love the baboon playing the bassoon. Dalick's from Dr. Who show up in the 'Ds'. I like the Green Gorilla wearing gloves. There is a fairy. I love Kitty Koala and the 'K' page in general. I love the outrageous Ostrich. 'V' Wins best alliteration. 'X' is the best for using the letter.

This book gave me joy.

[mark monday · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love this book so much! I practically lived in it when I was kid.

[Ted · Rating 5 out of 5]

Rabid Reviewer Raves Raucously Re Regal Rudiments for Reading

Okay, parents and grandparents (and those who have no progeny), this is the GREATEST graphical alphabet book for youngsters, young readers, old fogies, and any other group of English-language readers whatsoever.





Each letter of the alphabet gets either a full page, or a two-page spread of beautiful color art depicting numerous animals and items which start with the given letter. Perfect for an oldie and a youngster going through together, looking at each item in the picture and figuring out (if they can) what word the wonderful Graeme Base had in mind.

Over 3 million copies of the book have been sold. In 2012 a 25th Anniversary edition was published.

Example of a two-page spread.



Man, if only this book could have time-traveled back to my young reading days.


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Previous review: Richard III Shakespeare
Random review: The Classical Greeks great book, portraits of three dozen Greeks from the Classical period
Next review: The Taming of the Shrew more Shakespeare

[Carol, She's so Novel ꧁꧂ · Rating 5 out of 5]

I found a copy for a friend's grandchild. This reminded me to have a look at my own copy & I have just had a lot of pleasure, not only looking at the beautiful pictures, but appreciating Base's rich use of language. I blush to say I didn't find all the little Graemes. A beautiful body of work that took Base three years to complete.

It can't be a spoiler to show one (ok two!) pictures.

Just gorgeous.

I used to own as well. While I didn't enjoy that book quite as much I'm sad that it appears to be missing. Hopefully a copy will turn up at my work.

[Manybooks · Rating 2 out of 5]

Although I do quite enjoy Graeme Base's Animalia as a general concept, the intricate and involved illustrations do seem incredibly over busy and much too in-one's-face for them to ever be even remotely considered personal favourites (as I tend to rather crave and even require visual simplicity and unclutteredness, and sadly, upon rereading Animalia, the over-busyness actually started to give me a bit of a sick headache). And really, the sheer amount of objects playing hide and seek within the illustrations is rather majorly daunting to say the least, especially since one is not even sure exactly how many hidden images there are in each section, in each given picture spread (which is why I most certainly would really have appreciated and actually required a list of hidden objects included, either at the back of the book, with corresponding page numbers, or preferably, underneath each of the illustrations). Now I do believe and even realise that Animalia has a lot of what I would label "kid appeal" (but for someone like me, with less than stellar eyesight, the sheer masses of hidden objects can easily prove to be a bit massively overwhelming at best). But that being said (and even though I have only rated Animalia with a high two star ranking), aside from the book teaching and practicing the alphabet, alliteration, rhyming and the like, the hidden images might also be a useful tool for working on pattern recognition with children (as well as adults) who have focusing and visual tracking issues (the latter factoid being yet another reason why a list of the specific hidden objects to be located in Animalia would have been a welcome and much useful addition).

[Lisa Vegan · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is an amazing book. The illustrations are truly stunning. On the inside back cover it’s mentioned that it took the author over 3 years to create the illustrations for this book and I was not at all surprised. It can take a very long time to read this 32 page book, not because the text takes that long to read, but the illustrations are so profuse that it can take ages to find everything on each page. This can be read by children to themselves but it’s much more fun to read it with one another and point out all the A, B, C, etc. items on each page. This book would make a lovely gift for 4-8 year olds, and I very much enjoyed pouring over it myself. Next time I’ll do it with a child or two and it will be even more fun. I’d recommend it to most 4-8 year olds, although there are a few illustrations of things that could be frightening for some sensitive children.

[Kathryn · Rating 4 out of 5]

A splendid ABC book! What I love is that the phrases for each letter are very involved, lots of great words here, no "dumbing-down" for kiddies. Also, while I at first thought there was just a random collection of "misc. images" in the pictures (the animals are the main focus) I soon realized that Base was adding lots of OTHER images with the given letter. For example: Unicorns for "U" is the main focus, but then if you look carefully you can also see umbrellas and Union Jacks in the picture. Neat! Kids will love that. I didn't give the book five stars because, alas, I'm not really a fan of his illustration style--this is just personal taste and I think this is a great alphabet book!

[Kaethe · Rating 5 out of 5]

2009 Feb 19

I'm a bad parent to have held out the Graeme Base books from the Offspring (but they're signed, and they have little Base doodles, and they're mine). The PandaBat is now enthralled. We hunted down little Graemes for an hour.

***

2020 May 23


I spent an hour last night looking for the little Graeme in the B picture. I don't know if this demonstrates that my memory is going or just my eyesight.

[Jessica]

My ardor for this amazing book really cooled once I noticed the swastika. Am I too sensitive? Is it weird that I more or less accepted the kangaroo kidnapping a lady koala with a kalashnikov, but I draw the line at Nazi symbols...? In any case, this book is incredible and my toddler loves it, but I never could quite enjoy it the same way again and there are a lot of other children's books out there that don't have hidden swastikas and who knows what else in them.

[Debbie W. · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fun book with beautiful illustrations!

[Abigail · Rating 4 out of 5]

From the armoured armadillos avoiding the angry alligators to the zany zebras zigzagging in zinc zeppelins, the animals in this imaginative alphabet book put on quite a show. Each letter is alliteratively exemplified in both text and image, with any number of other objects and animals, besides the main ones that are actually named, hiding in the artwork. The result is a book that rewards a closer examination, and that will provide young children with hours of amusement as they pore over the illustrations.

First published in 1986, and then reprinted in this 25th Anniversary Edition, Animalia took Australian author/illustrator Graeme Base three years to create, and it is not difficult to see why. The artwork is gorgeously detailed, with so many little objects hidden away in its depths. This anniversary edition includes a poster on the reverse side of the dust-jacket that contains a riddle needing solving, giving young children even more to keep them entertained. Recommended to anyone looking for fun alphabet books, as well as to those searching for picture-books that provide a more interactive experience for young children.

[Steve Holden · Rating 4 out of 5]

Last review of June (although I'm behind a few days with a busy schedule) bringing me to an approximate halfway point on this challenge/goal. I recently saw this book, and I gravitated towards it and was again with my nose inside. I spent many similar afternoons and evenings like so as a child. Wow, did I love this book as a child. Hands down, from my experiences as child and emerging reader, the best ABC book I laid hands on. The illustrations are entertaining and captivating to look at - even again as an adult. I'm so happy I came across this one again so I can add it to my year in picture books - it needed this one included!

[Shannon · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of my favourite books from years ago, I finally picked up a copy for myself the other day. This beautifully - and cleverly - illustrated children's book is just as much fun when you're an adult. Each page or double-page spread conjures a letter of the alphabet with rhyming alliteration and illustrations full of things starting with that letter. We used to have races to find and list as many words as we could from the pictures, and we had a jigsaw puzzle of the Crimson Cats page. Endless fun for kids and a great way to learn new vocab.

[Cynthia Egbert · Rating 4 out of 5]

I am trying to read some of the older books on my to-read list and this one has been there for a number of years. I also wanted to test the waters and see if this is a book that I wanted to add to my daughter's library for my soon-to-join-our-family grandson. And, yes, I have already ordered a copy. These illustrations, as to be expected in a book by Base, are phenomenal and it will be such fun to try and find all the hidden gems on each page with a grandchild. What a fun way to play with learning the alphabet. I can hardly wait!

[Suz · Rating 4 out of 5]

Excellent book for very beginnings in early literacy, Indy was interested in asking me what every item listed under each letter of the alphabet, and he stayed all the way through to 'z'. This author has such a good concept, even though the interesting phrases might be hard for my son's vocab, the fantastical illustrations draw the young ones in. It's a striking looking book and my 4 year old wanted to read it with me. What more can a mum want.

[DadReads · Rating 5 out of 5]

I always knew Graeme Base was good, but it was a touch of divine inspiration that really made me praise him. Tucked away in the bottom right corner of Animalia’s D page, just below a dachshund, you can see the corner of a piece of paper. Most of it runs off the page, but you can read “1 Thou shalt have no”. Clearly it’s the beginning of the Ten Commandments. Why is it on the D page? Because the Ten Commandments are also known as the Decalogue.

Disappointed as I was that baby Heidi failed to appreciate this nuance – she didn’t seem to pick the dodecahedron either, but then Maggie Simpson struggled with that one too – I had to admire Graeme Base. It is so rare to find a picture book that has something for everyone, but he achieves it. On that page alone, little kids can point to a dog or a dragon, older children can pick out dynamite or Doctor Who, and adults can feel smug at identifying the hard stuff.

Like the Decalogue. Or the crab (decapod, get it?). Or the inscription of 6th June, 1944 (D-Day, you with me?). Or the framed picture of a man looking nervously up at a sword hovering above his head. Alphabet books are a dime a dozen – hey, this D game is easy – but usually this page would feature a dog or a duck, or another dull cliché. But a depiction of Damocles in an alphabet book for kids? Now you’ve got my vote.

I shouldn’t have been surprised. As a kid, I spent hour upon hour poring over another Base classic, The Eleventh Hour. Even after I knew whodunit I was still searching for the rest of the hidden clues that pointed to the culprit who ate all the food for Horace the Elephant’s birthday party. It’s possible that Graeme Base contributed more to my lifelong love of crime and mystery novels than any other author. He himself was inspired by Agatha Christie.

The Eleventh Hour was full of puzzles, codes, hints, riddles, poetry and games, all wrapped up in the guise of a children’s book. And there was even a cricket match. What was not to love? Most of all, it was a work of art, like all of Graeme Base’s books. To call him merely an author is a bit like calling Paul McCartney just a singer. True, his words brilliantly add to the atmosphere, but his trademarks are those rich, dense, colourful illustrations.

So much time goes into them. Years, in some cases. In fact, you know what else he could have drawn on Animalia’s D page? Daniel Day-Lewis, an artist of similarly complete immersion. Typically, several years pass between Daniel Day-Lewis roles, because he chooses carefully and researches thoroughly. That’s how I think of Graeme Base. He might only release one book every three or four years, but it will always be quality. (Enid Blyton spat out 33 books in 1949 alone, just saying).

Animalia was first published in 1986, three years before The Eleventh Hour. But I spent far less time with Animalia as a kid, mostly because we didn’t own a copy. I recall it from school, or borrowing it from the library, but I remembered only the essence of the book, not the detail. And what detail there is. Each page has a few alliterative words to describe the illustration – “Diabolical dragons daintily devouring delicious delicacies” – but there is so much more to the pictures.

In his introductory poem, Base challenges the reader:

“For many things are ‘of a kind’
And those with keenest eyes will find
A thousand things, or maybe more –
It’s up to you to keep the score”

I haven’t counted, but a thousand wouldn’t surprise me. And on every page, there is something for everyone. Including a hidden picture of the author himself as a boy – it’s like a Where’s Wally in a book that’s already full of challenges. Kids can turn browsing Animalia into a competition. Who can identify the most things? And with references from mythology, mathematics, music, and minutiae of all kinds, it is a trivia lover’s dream.

There is barely a blank space in Animalia. I flashed back to Mr Scally’s classic time-filler during art class when I was in Prep. When we were drawing, he told us we could leave no white space at all. I used to use my yellow crayon to colour in any blank space behind my house or tree or whatever, and said I was drawing "air". If only I’d had Graeme Base’s imagination. And talent.

I read an interview with Base in which he described his love of problem solving. How am I going to create this picture so it is appealing but also conveys this information? He does so by providing illustrations that are truly luxurious, giving more bang for your buck than almost any other author. You can come back to Animalia time after time after time and always spot something new.

His approach to “X” is particularly praiseworthy. Xylophones are the ultimate cliché in children’s alphabet books. You won’t find one in Animalia; it is so conspicuously absent that it seems as though Base decided a xylophone was too easy (though there is a glockenspiel on the G page). Instead you will find the semaphore and sign language symbols for X, and the words – “Rex Fox Fixing Six Saxophones” – are ingeniously depicted in a mirror so the X comes first.

As an aside, Base in the same interview also described his own inquisitive nature. This quote did not surprise me at all, given his obvious attention to detail:

“If the toaster breaks here, I don’t buy another toaster; I take it apart and find out what’s wrong with it. How can I fix it? It’s not being cheap. It’s just wanting to know. I think I have an enquiring mind.”

He said his ideal dinner party guests would be Bill Bryson, Stephen Hawking, and someone else whose name escapes me but who apparently was dead in any case. Bill Bryson is my all-time favourite writer, Stephen Hawking the world’s finest brain, and Graeme Base in a league of his own as a children’s author and illustrator. Can I please have the fourth place at that table?

https://dadreads.blogspot.com.au/2016...

[ALLEN · Rating 5 out of 5]

A charming abcedary that little kids won't mind being read to from, and adults will enjoy reading out of to. My favorite is the "C" two-page spread, in which a crawdad, a creek, and a can (that once held Coca-Cola), as well many other items beginning with "C," battle it out for visual supremacy. The artwork is so far above the norm that in this reviewer's opinion it counts as classic.

[Jackie "the Librarian" · Rating 5 out of 5]

An absolutely gorgeous alphabet book, with my favorite ever L page "Lazy Lions Lounging in the Local Library". See how many items you can find that start with the featured letter. C'mon, it's fun!
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[Connie · Rating 4 out of 5]

There's two ways to do an alphabet book. The first is to have each letter firmly illustrated by one - and only one! - item. The second, which is the approach taken in this book, is to have as many items as possible crammed onto each page.

The result is an alphabet book that grows with your kid, because even a grown-up can spend a lot of time quietly poring over the pages of the book to catch one last detail, find one more F word, locate the boy in the striped shirt on every page.

There are a few pages that seemingly indicate violence - hogs going into battle, a kangaroo in a kidnapping, warrior wasps - so parents of more sensitive children will want to read this book before purchasing. Frankly, I think these scenes are not worrisome at all, but others may disagree.

[SamZ · Rating 2 out of 5]

I am very in the minority here, but when I read this book as a kid I just felt really overwhelmed by the illustrations. They were just so full and busy that it was too much for me. When I read it again yesterday I had the same feeling. I love the words and the way the author uses such a vast vocabulary, it's a great book for that. I just find myself getting really frustrated when I read and wanting to clean up each page to make it less "messy."

[Laura · Rating 5 out of 5]

I can't believe it took me until my 5th child to find this book. The illustrations are luscious - you could spend hours picking out the details. I am buying this one in hardcover. If you have a pre-k/kindergartener, be sure to check it out!

[Krista the Krazy Kataloguer · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love this book! Sometimes I get out my copy and look for the objects in each book just for the fun of it. Being a librarian, my favorite picture, of course, is the library lions!

[Hannah Owens · Rating 5 out of 5]

I must have checked this out from the library a hundred times.

[Laura (Book Scrounger) · Rating 5 out of 5]

Of the picture books that I have discovered after the ending of my (first) childhood, this is probably one of my favorites. It's an "alphabet book" unlike any other I've seen. First of all, it has a picture for each letter of the alphabet (ranging in size from half a page to a double page, depending on the letter), that is based on an alliterative sentence (and including at least one animal) using that letter. For example: "Great Green Gorillas Growing Grapes in a Gorgeous Glass Greenhouse."

Even as clever as that is, it has surely been done before. But this book takes it to a whole new level. Not only do the pictures illustrate the often silly sentence and animal for each letter, but the author/artist has cleverly included many other items in the picture that also begin with the same letter.

So for the letter L, the sentence is "Lazy Lions Lounging in the Local Library." The picture shows lions in the library, but it also shows a locomotive on a shelf, and lace, and a lizard, as well as books about Latin, and lambs, and all kinds of other titles involving the letter L.

And sometimes these items are hidden very well, and it becomes a challenge to see how many things you can find in each picture that start with that letter. In the B picture, we see a close-up of a butterfly's wing, and hidden in there, almost as shadows, are a bike, a bottle, bagpipes, and all kinds of other things. As many times as I've perused this book, I'm sure there is still more I haven't found. That's when you know you've found a gem, when you keep coming back to it again and again for a fresh challenge.

The artwork is beautiful as well, and I love how the author/artist pairs such artistic creativity with an apparently obsessive eye for details.

[Rosemary Sullivan · Rating 4 out of 5]

"Animalia" is a fun, colorful safari ride through the alphabet. The book is bursting with illustrations of animals, from peacocks to lions and animal legends, such as unicorns and dragons. The writing is joyful and silly.

The road map for the journey features each letter of the alphabet, from A to Z with zany alliteration. For instance, "G," reads "Great Green Gorillas Growing Grapes In A Gorgeous Glass Greenhouse." Sure enough, there are shamrock green gorillas.

But there are also several other drawings that start with the consonant. For example, there are gorillas, guitars, and a goblet, giraffe, goat, gnome etc. There is great potential for an "I Spy"-like game here. In fact, the book's introduction encourages it. "For many things are 'of a kind,'/and those with keenest eyes will find/A thousand things, or maybe more -/It's up to you to keep the score..." This includes a "Where's Waldo" element in which you try to find the author in his striped shirt, hiding in the illustrations.

My favorite is "T," which I think is terrific. "Two Tigers Taking The 10.2o Train To Timbuktu." There is a dapper tiger in a top hat, a toad on a tricycle and a turtle playing the tuba and so much more!

[Karen · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is one of those children's books that I bought long before I had a child. Pretty much as soon as I spied it in the library I knew I had to have it. It's a great book that works on so many levels. For one thing, it's gorgeous. It is hard not to admire the splendid illustrations, and it's even harder to put the book down. Then there is the wonderful, witty alliteration (yeah, I did that on purpose). But it is so clever and unexpected. This is not your standard alphabet book.

This book is a great read-aloud for story time with toddlers and preschoolers. School-age children to adults will enjoy hunting for objects beginning with the featured letter on each illustrated page -- kind of like an early I Spy book, only you have to identify the objects, not just find them.

Graeme Base spend three years working on this book and was a very young man when he did it. Not a second of his time was wasted.

[Dolly · Rating 4 out of 5]

Lush alliteration and gorgeously detailed pictures are just a few of the reasons why we really like this alphabet book by Graeme Base. The numerous inclusion of items that begin with each featured letter scattered throughout each page makes the entire book a treasure hunt. And I even liked the way he handled the letter 'X' - it can be such a troublesome letter and there was nary a xylophone in sight. I love it!

This book was selected as one of the books for the October 2013 - Alphabet books discussion at the Picture-Book Club in the Children's Books Group here at Goodreads.

[Magila · Rating 5 out of 5]

I don't understand the less than average ratings for this book. This book is not an "A is for Apple" book, it has more depth than that. Sure, a world like ventriloquist is not as easy as a word like "van," but that's the point of teaching kids. By the time they are learning to read and write, they are far more advanced verbally than their little eyes are able to read. So parents and teachers don't treat them like babies, but start to teach, and stretch their little minds and understanding. Huge fan.

Nothing but love for this book. The complex pictures provide an ample opportunity for littl'uns to find items they are more familiar with that begin with the various letters, and ones that adults may need to explain. The animals are drawn fantastically, with a does of reality and almost cartoon-y anthropomorphism that delight the fancy.

[Eileen · Rating 5 out of 5]

OMG, I wish I had had this book when my kids were young. They would have loved it. The illustrations remind me a little bit of Jan Brett, also a favorite, but the details are similar to the hidden things books. The book takes you through the Alphabet, but for each letter, there are alliterative phrases that both describe the scene and feature that letter. But even cooler is that hidden on each page are multiple examples of other items that represent that letter. For example, the letter D has "Diabolical Dragons Daintily Devouring Delicious Delicacies" and of course there are a couple of dragons eating said delicacies. But you can also find a Dog, a drawer, a duck, a doll, dice, dagger, etc. I'm willing to bet that children will find something new each time. My kids loved these types of books when they were young and I know they would love this one.

[Amy Bruestle]

I read this as a kid. Good book to learn about animals. I am trying to go back and review as many books as possible that I have "read" so that in the future I can read my reviews and remember more about each book. So sorry for the news feed full of random reviews of kids books!