With over 3 million copies sold around the world, Graeme Base’s amazing alliterative alphabet book Animalia is one of the most beloved children’s picture books of all time, treasured by children and parents alike as a special reading experience.
“So extraordinary, so extravagantly illustrated, so astonishingly alliterative, so thoroughly delightful that any child who does not soon possess it may rightly feel his education has been shamefully neglected.” ―San Francisco Chronicle
Animalia’s incredible imaginary world intrigues readers of all ages, with hidden objects and ideas on every page:
* A is for an Armored Armadillo Avoiding an Angry Alligator
* B is for Beautiful Blue Butterflies Basking by a Babbling Brook
* C is for Crafty Crimson Cats Carefully Catching Crusty Crayfish
* And the rest of the alphabet is just as much fun!
Graeme Base’s work offers a color-packed palette and imagination-filled menagerie that has changed the way that children’s books are illustrated. Animalia, like many of Base’s books, is a vast puzzle, built with color and filled with creatures. This astonishingly original treatment of the ABCs changed the way parents and teachers imagined the books that they read to children.
Base offers a single- or double-page kaleidoscopic illustration for each letter of the alphabet and challenges the reader to find as many words beginning with that letter as possible within. Each illustration is a visual feast, and a fun way to challenge and expand your child’s vocabulary.
No parent or child will ever be disappointed in getting Graeme Base’s Animalia as a gift. Its colors and humor are timeless. You will smile, giggle, and laugh when reading about “Horrible Hairy Hogs Hurrying Homewards on Heavily Harnessed Horse.”
Note: This is the “midi” edition of Animalia, perfect for smaller hands and bookshelf storage.
Graeme Base is an internationally acclaimed British-Australian author and illustrator, widely regarded as one of the world's leading creators of imaginative picture books. With global sales exceeding six million copies, his works have achieved classic status and are celebrated for their intricate detail, rich visual storytelling, and embedded puzzles.
Base is best known for crafting books that encourage repeat reads and deep exploration:
- Animalia: An alliterative alphabet book and worldwide bestseller that challenged readers to find hundreds of objects hidden within its breathtakingly detailed illustrations. It has since been adapted into a popular animated television series.
- The Eleventh Hour: A Curious Mystery: A captivating mystery in verse, where readers are challenged to solve the case of the missing birthday feast by finding codes and clues subtly hidden in the artwork.
- The Water Hole: A Counting Picture Book: A popular counting book that doubles as a fun introduction to geography and ecological themes, using die-cut pages to illustrate the shrinking water supply.
Graeme Base's books are a unique fusion of art, literature, and puzzle-making, appealing to children and adults alike:
- Intricate Artwork: He uses watercolors and transparent inks to create incredibly detailed, vibrant, and imaginative worlds, often taking years to complete a single book.
- Hidden Layers: His work consistently incorporates riddles, codes, and hidden figures, transforming the reading experience into a thrilling quest for discovery.
- Environmental Themes: Books like Uno's Garden and The Water Hole subtly introduce readers to concepts of ecology, conservation, and the importance of global stewardship.
Born in England, Graeme Base moved to Australia at the age of eight and now lives in Melbourne with his wife, Robyn. An accomplished musician as well as an artist, he has also adapted several of his books for the stage, including The Sign of the Seahorse as an opera.
Explore the marvelous, multi-layered worlds of Graeme Base, where every page holds a secret waiting to be found.
