ANIMAL ACTION ABC

The alphabet in this book functions more as a framework than it does a primer in letters. It pairs verbs—arch, balance, charge, drink—with an animal engaged in that activity and a poem describing it. Brightly clad children superimposed against a backdrop of wildlife photographs imitate the animal actions. The wildlife and child photography is visually stimulating in concert, but the (just barely) rhyming text rarely extends the images and more often lacks the alacrity needed for a harmonious collaboration. There's no ``L is for leopard'' here; the sleepy leopard may be found under N, for Nap. A short glossary of each animal's habitat and behavior may interest older readers who will not care about learning letters or simulating the actions. For a stronger illustration of the same concept, see Jean Marzollo and Jerry Pinkney's Pretend You're a Cat (1990), which stretches minds as well as bodies. (Picture book. 3-6)