A Caribou Alphabet

by Mary Beth Owens

Overview

* Ten Best Illustrated Books, Parenting Magazine *
* An ALA Notable Book *

Nature and letters come together in this enchanting classic about the mighty caribou, one of the great symbols of the arctic wilderness. It's a counting book too—follow the number of hoof prints through the letters of the alphabet.

Also included are a compendium of caribou facts and a new afterword about caribou in the twenty-first century. Journey into the magical world of the caribou, North America s own reindeer.

• A Tilbury House classic with 30,000 copies sold
• Expanded paperback edition includes a haunting new afterword by biologist Mark McCollough, describing the condition of the great arctic caribou herds in the age of climate change.
• Both an alphabet book and a child's nature book.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780884484462
Publisher:	Tilbury House Publishers
Publication date:	05/08/2015
Series:	Tilbury House Nature Book Series
Pages:	36
Sales rank:	509,598
Product dimensions:	8.80(w) x 9.80(h) x 0.20(d)
Age Range:	4 - 8 Years

About the Author

MARY BETH OWENS (Newcastle, ME) is an award-winning author and illustrator of children’s books, among them Panda Whispers, Caribou Alphabet, Counting Cranes, and Be Blest: A Celebration of Seasons. She incorporates her passion for the natural world with her enthusiasm for children’s books and teaching art. Research trips have taken her to study caribou in northern Maine, whooping cranes in New Mexico and Texas, sea turtles in Antigua, and marsupials in Australia.

Editorial Reviews

"A tour de force: both a homage to a particular creature and a textbook example of how an alphabet book can educate and delight a young reader."

The New York Times

Owens was inspired to create this book by the Caribou Project in Maine, which reintroduces animals into the wild. Owens's ABC is lightly informational, and a glossary at the back fleshes out the the facts that, given the constraints of rhyming couplets, can be a little obscure. For example, for U and V , ``An ungulate's hooves help on every terrain/ Itchy velvet rubs off and strong antlers remain'' would be tough going for those just mastering the alphabet, but then, this is really just an organizational device. More important are the graceful portraits that emerge of these beasts, clustered around letters and set against moonlit backdrops and snowy plains. Owens uses a stippling technique to render realistic paintings on creamy paper. Far more than an ABC, this is an ode to the caribou, lovingly done and resonant in its execution. All ages. (June)

Publishers Weekly - Publisher's Weekly

PreS-Gr 3 In spite of the title, this is not a traditional alphabet book, but rather an ABC of caribou facts, inspired by the work of the Maine Caribou Transplant Project, a privately funded organization attempting to reintroduce the caribou into the wilds of northern Maine. But, more than just an environmental tract, this is, in fact, quite a handsome book. Each pair of upper- and lower-case letters is set squarely in the center of the page, adorned by an appropriate illustration and surrounded by generous amounts of white space. The illustrations have a stippled and stylized effect, suggestive of cave paintings, and manage to be both expressive and graceful while they inform. Rhymed couplets strain to interpret the letters on each double-page spread (An ungulate's hooves help on every terrain/ Itchy velvet rubs off and strong antlers remain''), a flaw that is somewhat relieved by ``A Caribou Compendium'' that elaborates on information introduced in the text. An unorthodox approach to the subject, and one that is not entirely successful. Still, this is an unusually attractive and, ultimately, informative book, certain to engage young readers and instill in them a feeling of respect for these lovely creatures and their environment. Marcia Hupp, The Ferguson Library, Stamford, Conn.

School Library Journal