Following in the tradition of Class Two at the Zoo and A Cat and a Dog / Un gato y un perro, Wallace Edwards and Doreen Cronin draw on animals so to create great childeren's literature. In his Governor General Award winning Alphabeasts, Edwards offers a wonderful array of animals as a means to present the alphabet to readers. Lawyer turned writer Doreen Cronin and illustrator Betsy Lewin draw on barnyard animals in their Caldecott Honor Book Cows That Type in order to entertain and present the concept of strike and arbitration. Both books are wonderful reads.
Alphabeasts
Written and illustrated by Wallace Edwards, Alphabeasts is a beautiful, well-conceived alphabet book. The animals featured for each letter range from the ordinary – cat and pig – to the less ordinary – mandrill and narwhal. The activities of the animals are all things readers can do: daydream, decorate with flowers, dance with glee.
According to the illustrations, the alphabeasts live in a large decorative house that features stained glass windows, wooden floors, crystal chandeliers and decorative wallpaper. The animals themselves are stylish, ornate and detailed. The varied colours are warm and rich, splendid watercolours and pencil work reminiscent of classic books from years gone by. They leave no doubt to their merit as winner of the 2002 Governor General’s Award.
The illustrations enhance the text, which by its self is still strong and imaginative – koodos to Wallace Edwards for finding real animals, except for maybe unicorns, for every letter of the alphabet. There is much to see and reflect upon in Alphbeasts, such as “C is for Cat, who reflects on its self,” which is depicted as a Siamese looking cat sitting upon a dresser contemplating at his reflection in the mirror and seeing a tiger staring back.
Cows That Type
Cows That Type by Doreen Cronin is a humourous tale about some very intelligent barn animals that know how to get what they want. They type all day long – “Click, clack, moo. Click, clack, moo.” They type a request for electric blankets, but Framer Brown ignores it. Consequently, the cows go on strike, and the chickens join them. This infuriates Farmer Brown, who types the barn animals an ultimatum that Duck, “a neutral party,” delivers.
In a typed note, the cows offer to exchange their typerwriter for blankets. Farmer Brown accepts and leaves them by the barn. He waits for Duck to bring him the cows’ typewriter, but instead he receives a typed message from him about the state of the pond. The outcome of that dispute is depicted in the final illustration of Cows That Type.
Reviews
Wallace Edwards’s Alphabeasts is a beautiful book that is filled with wonderful illustrations and supported by a great text that introduces readers to a variety of animals, even for the letters “Q” – quetzal – and “X” - xenosaur. Children and adults alike will admire the artwork and enjoy the text.
Cows That Type by Doreen Cronin and Betsy Lewin is a completely different kind of picture book than Alphabeasts, but it is equally enjoyable. The artwork is not as detailed, but it is nonetheless effective; it is an appropriate match for the humourous feel of the book. Cows That Type is a fun story that children and adults will enjoy reading. It is sealed as a Caldecott Honor Book and was on the New York Times bestseller list.
About the Books
Alphabeasts
Written and illustrated by Wallace Edwards
Published by Kids Can Press, 2002
ISBN: 978-1-55337-386-5
Cows That Type
Written by Doreen Cronin
Illustrated by Betsy Lewin
Published by Simon & Schuster, 2000
ISBN: 0-689-83213-3
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