This playful and sophisticated alphabet book toys with translation in a visually engaging way. As the title suggests, animals that are typically symbolic of letters in the English language are substituted for animals in over 50 world languages, including several Indigenous languages. For example, the letter “D” is not for “Dog,” rather, “D is for Turtle. Daksi in Cherokee, Dortoka in Basque, Deckelsmouk in Luxembourish, and Dtào in Thai.” Clever scratchboard illustrations show English alphabet shapes, while hand-lettered text showcases several languages for each concept. A QR code links to the publisher’s webpage where native or fluent speakers pronounce the words that appear in the book. An author’s note explores cultural details about animals and vocabulary, as well as complications with transliterating words into English using the Roman, or Latin, alphabet. (Ages 6-10)

BEST OF THE YEAR

The New York Times · Booklist Top of the List · World Kid Lit



What letter does the word bee start with?

If you said "B" you're right - in English!

But in many, many languages, it actually starts with A.

Bee is Aṅụ̄ in Igbo,

Aamoo in Ojibwe,

Abelha in Portugese.

And Arı in Turkish.



Come and explore the gorgeous variations in the ways we talk about familiar things, unified and illuminated through Ellen Heck's eye-catching, graphic scratchboard details and hidden letterforms.



P R A I S E



★ "A gorgeous collection for linguists of all ages."

--Booklist (starred)



"The ultimate demonstration of inclusion, and the beauty of world languages. This lavishly illustrated multilingual alphabet book isn't about inclusion, it is inclusion."

--The New York Times



"Kaleidoscopic and delightful. Any lover of language, or any child who likes new sounds, will be entranced."

--Kory Stamper, NYT



"Beautiful. A book that presents an understanding far beyond the usual. Marvelous"

--Betsy Bird, SLJ Fuse 8