ABC ZooBorns! - Softcover

Andrew Bleiman is a lifelong animal nerd who graduated from the University of Pennsylvania with a degree in English Literature and a yet to be recognized minor in Baby Animalogy. He attributes his fascination with zoology and conservation to monthly childhood trips to the Wildlife Conservation Society’s Bronx Zoo. He lives in Seattle with his wife, Lillian, and daughter, Avery.

Chris Eastland is a classically trained artist and freelance designer who studied and taught at the Charles H. Cecil Studios in Florence, Italy. Chris was formerly the Photography Editor for Quest Magazine. He lives in Brooklyn, New York with his girlfriend, Emilie, their cat Georgie, and their dog Holden.

PreS-All of these animal babies are extremely cuddly and appear in a full-color photo, one to a page, with the uppercase letter, a one- or two-line descriptive phrase, and a small image showing its basic shape. Some of the animals are shown with parents, some are held by what appears to be zoo staff, and some are on their own. A spread at the end of the book gives the conservation status of each one, its species, a short description, and the location of the zoo in which it resides. The introduction explains that the book's purpose is to teach the alphabet, but, more importantly, to show the need to study animals in zoos in order to understand them in the wild and to develop ways to protect endangered species. Not all of the animals are endangered, as explained on the back pages. Aside from the cuteness factor, and the simple ABC format, the book's usefulness is limited. It is mostly a browsing item for parents to share with young children. The photographs are wonderful, the color and simple phrases fun, but there is little actual information that would point children toward conservation facts.-Susan Lissim, Dwight School, New York Cityα(c) Copyright 2011. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.