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This is a fabulous book for youngsters, a visual treat
that features a bowl of alphabet soup unlike any you have
ever imagined. Beginning with an ant on the front endpapers,
all the way to the zany zebra on the final page, this
enthusiastic and creative assortment of animals is a
delightful mix of fancy and imagination. This visual feast
is filling and heartwarming, a mad menagerie guaranteed to
delight and engage young readers.
Each page features a double spread with a blue gingham
tablecloth and yellow placemat trimmed in red, on which is
centered
a rich, red bowl of soup, the highlighted letters
introducing a sprinkling of creatures; for example, E and F,
a frog near the bowl, which suddenly sports a rim trimmed
with tiny blue elephants; I and J add an iguana and
jellyfish, as page after page fills up with an amazing
display of beasties. By the time the reader gets to W, X and
Y, the pages are bursting with quirky species, a jungle of
joys. For a book that starts out so quietly, the ending is
positively raucous.
Marino has illustrated a delightful alphabet of creatures,
her images brimming with energy and humor. Zoopa
is so beautifully rendered, I would highly recommend it for
any lucky child, not to mention adults who collect
innovative illustrations. There's nothing like a nice big
bowl of Zoopa on a lazy afternoon. This is one
recipe you'll be glad to share.
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Zoopa: An Animal Alphabet