SHARED by: Katherine Grier, Librarian at York Avenue Preschool

Its back to school time, and that means back to books. This month I offer you an alphabet book, a counting book, and one bonus find with the wonderful message “every book’s a friend.” Welcome back and happy reading!

A Zeal of Zebras by Woop Studios

I have always been a bit of a word nerd and “A Zeal of Zebras” by Woop Studios is just the kind of book that would have kept me entertained for hours when I was a kid. It’s a unique, large format alphabet book that skillfully meshes beautiful artwork, informative facts and “wow”- producing words. These words all describe animals, but not in the typical way—they are arranged alphabetically by collective name beginning with A for an Aurora of Polar Bears and ending with Z for a Zeal of Zebras. Both grownups and children will enjoy learning the funny, odd, or strangely appropriate names for different groups of animals. Each page is a fresh and original surprise. Some of my favorite pages are C (a Caravan of Camels), G (a Galaxy of Starfish), J (a Journey of Giraffes), P (a Pandemonium of Parrots), and S (a Shiver of Sharks).

I also like the fact that each page of the book also has its own paragraph or two of information describing the unique qualities of the animal featured on it. This is all paired with striking graphic illustrations that have the look and feel of vintage posters. With thousands of alphabet and animal books available, “A Zeal of Zebras” stands out in the crowd, and I highly recommend it.

The Hueys in None the Number: A Counting Adventure by Oliver Jeffers

In “None the Number: A Counting Adventure,” Oliver Jeffers’ little jellybean characters, the Hueys, explain the numbers from 0 to 10 in a wonderfully silly way. From an educational standpoint, this book is a great choice for preschoolers learning their numbers because each number occupies its own page, is depicted in both word and numeral form, and is illustrated in an attention-grabbing way. From a fun standpoint, this is a counting book beyond compare.

It starts off with one Huey asking another “Is none a number?” The other Huey explains that none is less than 1, and goes through all the numbers to illustrate his point. Each illustration is filled with the whimsy you can always expect with a Jeffers book. For example, young readers get to count four temper tantrums that Kevin throws every day , seven oranges balanced on some crazy things, eight party guests trying to guess what’s inside a gift box, and nine seagulls that are after Frank’s French fries. The rest of the counting is just as delightfully humorous and quirky and the ending is definitely worthy of a big smile.

My Pet Book by Bob Staake

This new picture book by the author of “The Red Lemon” is a fun way to introduce preschoolers to the magic of books. The verses are catchy and fun to read out loud, and the illustrations are bold, bright and chock full of visual details that are sure to entertain kids—especially if they are fans of Richard Scarry’s Busytown. Staake’s story is set in Smartytown, a wacky, pet-loving city with street signs advising its round-headed, big-eyed residents to “Curb Your Frog.” There, we meet a precocious boy who wants a pet that is easy to take care of. He doesn’t like puppies and kittens make him sneeze. So, he heads to the neighborhood bookstore, where after careful consideration he chooses a “frisky red hardcover.” The boy takes his pet book home and the text and illustrations on the next few pages reveal to us and him the advantages of having a book for a pet. Soon, boy and book are pretty much inseparable. They become fast friends and have many adventures together. But then, “Oh, No!” the boy’s family’s maid accidentally gives the book to charity.

A frantic search begins in earnest. The boy rushes to the thrift store to which the book was donated and rummages through a crazy array of toys, clothes and other discarded items that are especially fun for preschoolers to identify and count. Thankfully, the boy and his “pet” are happily reunited in the end.