About The Book Fairy
A career Children’s Librarian, the Book Fairy (a.k.a. kittenpie) has worked in library systems in both New York and Toronto. She’s thrilled to have another place to share the books she loves without creeping people out the way she does at the bookstore.
All Creatures Great and Gorgeous
shelf candy canada
(Jan.19.10)
I am feeling so privileged this month - I am seeing book after book that I can't help but calling beautiful. This week, I have a triple helping of the simply stunning, all from Chronicle Press, who are a go-to source for wonderful giftie books and fun kits.
Creature ABC, by Andrew Zuckerman
Zuckerman's coffee table book Creature was a collection of the most stunning animal portraits I've ever seen - and while it's a gorgeous gift for a grownup, it's pretty hefty and pretty pricey for kids.
Enter Creature ABC, a shortened version for kids that uses the same amazing images to introduce an alphabet of animals. How wonderful for a child to get a look at animals in such loving, yet unblinking detail, just as they really are. Truly, though, any adult would love it, too, for it's rare beauty.
You can take a look inside of it here, to see it for yourself, and if you want to get a glimpse at how the images were captured, check out this video of the filming.
And! if you just can't get enough or you have a wee puzzle fiend on your hands, there is even a floor puzzle set with four puzzles, bringing the animals to life in an even bigger format!
Alphabeasties, by Sharon Werner and Sarah Forss
While this may be another animal alphabet, it is far from *just* another alphabestiary. Instead, it uses that format to do something else, entirely: introduce children to design, type and fonts, and the many ways they can be used.
A fun and illuminating introduction by the designers sets up the idea of looking for different styles, sizes, and moods of typefaces, which are then illustrated in about a zillion different ways on the pages that follow. Each animal is formed from a cloud of its initial letter in various sizes, and the edges of each page give a handful of other words to either describe some font features or to employ the letter in drawings full of fun little visual tricks. It's a wealth of ideas, and could be pored over again and again.
The book as a whole is printed in a matter, colour-blocked simplicity that gives it a slightly retro feel, and occasional extras like fold-outs are used sparingly to make them fun, not gimmicky, putting the emphasis on what's happening on the page. It's a book that could grow with a child, letting them find more in it the more they look, but would also be a terrific idea for a design-minded adult, especially if they are in graphic design.
Magical Menagerie, by Junzo Terada
This last treat is not a book, but an activity set of twenty punch-out animals that you can assemble yourself or mail to friends to share the fun around.
The animals are printed on a matte cardboard in a variety of multicoloured patterns that bring to mind calico animals or origami forms, and are so lovely that I think they could be used in storytelling or to decorate a nursery, while being sturdy enough to stand up to some play by a somewhat careful child.
The assembly instructions are printed on the envelopes that come with each animal, but I put the first two together without instructions before I discovered that (what manual?!), and found that they went together easily and intuitively, so even the most craft-impaired can add a dash of these lovely designs to their home!
Can't believe they could be that easy to work? Here's a video that shows them being built. See?