Creature ABC [Hardcover]

Andrew Zuckerman (Photographer)

Book Description

Publication Date: July 29, 2009 | Age Range: 1 and up

An elegant addition to any library, this deluxe alphabet book features 120 pages of Andrew Zuckerman's breathtaking wildlife photography. From alligator to zebra, each featured animal boasts two striking studio portraits against a clean white background, offering a unique up-close view of the animal kingdom. Readers can flip to a helpful glossary in the back for extra information. From the sleek beauty of a smiling hippo to the powerful majesty of a roaring lion, this gorgeous new book is both a stunning work of art and a ferociously fun way for young animal-lovers to learn their ABCs.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Zuckerman's striking animal photographs are put to excellent use in this book—part abecedarian, part guessing game. Each letter is given two spreads. The first shows the letter in upper and lower case next to an animal; the second reveals the animal's name and offers a different view of the creature. Some touches are especially clever: a kangaroo and a lion seem to stare at each other during an interlude between K and L, and while the rest of the book features stark white backgrounds, the letter N is shown against black—a page turn uncovers a group of nocturnal animals. All ages. (Sept.)
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Review

BULLETIN OF THE CENTER FOR CHILDREN'S BOOKS
This is a first choice for libraries, and it should be a welcome suggestion to parents seeking ideas for holiday shopping.

KIRKUS REVIEWS
Children will marvel at the portraits....the large format will make for fantastic lap-sit sessions.

LIBRARY MEDIA CONNECTION
One can only envision the poetry and writing that would be encouraged by these amazing photographs.

PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Zuckerman's striking animal photographs are put to excellent use in this book...

SCHOOL LIBRARY JOURNAL'S A FUSE #8 PRODUCTION BLOG
A book to remind you what photography's really all about All things considered Creature ABC is perhaps one of the most beautifully photographed ABC books I've ever seen A jaw-dropping affair.

SCHOOL LIBRARY JOURNAL
The power behind this thick, square alphabet book lies in the breathtaking photography....Based on photographs from Zuckerman's adult coffee table book Creature, this playful trip through the alphabet and nature will be visually inspiring for young children.

SHELF AWARENESS
Eye candy that makes learning one's ABCs pure pleasure.

THE NEW YORK TIMES
...[S]umptuous...Zuckerman connects with his subjects to an uncanny degree.

TIME
What makes this ABC book stand out are the photos: they're positively eye candy.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Age Range: 1 and up
  
• Hardcover: 120 pages
• Publisher: Chronicle Books (July 29, 2009)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0811869784
• ISBN-13: 978-0811869782
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 9.2 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.5 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (17 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #46,296 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Andrew Zuckerman (American, b.1977)

Noted filmmaker and photographer, Andrew Zuckerman, utilizes a multitude of platforms to produce work that is systematically executed, conceptually based, and democratically presented. Minimalist in nature, Zuckerman aims to create atmospheres of clarity and neutrality to facilitate the viewer's access to the material. His commitment to diversifying the points of entry into his work has garnered a global audience.

Zuckerman studied at the International Center of Photography before going on to receive his BFA from the School of Visual Arts. He first made his mark on the publishing world with the 2007 release of the CREATURE, a compendium of intimate animal portraits set against Zuckerman's signature white background. He has since explored this distinctive approach - which divorces subjects from their context and equalizes the larger conversation between them - in three additional critically acclaimed multi-media projects: WISDOM (2008), BIRD (2009), and MUSIC (2010). Renowned designer, Massimo Vignelli, has lauded Zuckerman's "uncompromising notion of space in which any object becomes its own essence." His books have been translated into numerous languages and published in 18 international editions.

Exhibitions of Zuckerman's work include a solo show of photographs from CREATURE at the Forma International Center of Photography in Milan and the ongoing WISDOM traveling exhibition, featuring portraits and interviews with extraordinary individuals over the age of 65, including Nelson Mandela, Andrew Wyeth, and Chuck Close. In July 2008, Zuckerman's portrait of Nelson Mandela appeared on the cover of Time magazine. Zuckerman's companion film to BIRD has been exhibited on The High Line in New York City in 2009, and at the Institute of Contemporary Art in Boston in 2010. Photographs from BIRD were on display at Colette in Paris. His short film, "High Falls," premiered at the 2007 Sundance Film Festival, and was selected as Best Short Film at the Woodstock Film Festival the same year. Most recently, Zuckerman interviewed and photographed over fifty eminent musicians, composers, and producers (from Ornette Coleman to Iggy Pop) for the MUSIC project, which was realized as a book, film, and iPad app.

Zuckerman's work has been commissioned by influential international brands and for inclusion in major private collections. He lives with his family in New York City.

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Simply Gorgeous! (Would make a good gift) September 19, 2009

By Pam T TOP 500 REVIEWER

Format:Hardcover

If kids had coffee tables, "Creature ABC" would be on them. It's an absolutely gorgeous book. In fact, it could very well be the sort of book that people buy for kids, look at 'carefully' with kids, and then put away for their children's children.

Which is to say that Andrew Zuckerman's photography and layout is amazing.

What you will fine in Mr. Zuckerman's book are various pictures of animals associated with letters of the alphabet. This, of course, is nothing new. But what makes these images special is the perspective and how everything is placed on the white-white background.

For example, for the letter "A" we have Alligator. Four pages for him. On one page there is only giant upper and lower case A's. On the two following pages there is our gator friend, in all his glory, along with the word 'alligator'. But what really struck me as wondrous, was the picture of his foot on the very first page. It's a macro shot and just stunning. You can see the remarkable bumpiness of the alligator's skin, and these long toenails. One amazing foot (that looks like it's had a pedicure).

Not all creatures have the same treatment. The elephant, with it's huge foot is shown up close along with another photo which is a head shot; but not the dove. With it's sweet pictures we get a sense of motion as she is caught in mid-flight. Other creatures are treated as a category. "I", for example, is for insects.

But no matter which letter/animal you choose, the images and poses are interesting. (The lion looks like he's had a glamour shot :)

Do check this one out. It's definitely worth a look.

Talking Points :::
o Amazing photography. The depth and clarity of the shots defies easy description.

o The paper is very nice: semi-gloss and thicker than normal.

o This book would make an excellent gift. I think there are elements that can be appreciated even by older children.

Pam T~
mom and reviewer at BooksForKids-reviews

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars Creature feature August 29, 2009

By E. R. Bird HALL OF FAMETOP 500 REVIEWER

Format:Hardcover

Each year there's a spate of alphabet books that flood the market willy-nilly. And in this day and age when kids become jaded around the age of three, if you're going to do something abecedarian you're gonna need a gimmick. Maybe each letter will stand for a different amusing spy. Maybe they'll dance up a coconut tree to a jazzy jungle beat. Perhaps your alphabet will be constructed out of street signs and city symbols. Whatever it is, it better be great or the general buying public will have none of it. Andrew Zuckerman, by the way, has an alphabet book coming out this year. And I suppose you could say that he even has a gimmick, if by "gimmick" you mean "an awesome series of dead gorgeous photographs of every conceivable animal". Creature ABC is a kid-friendly version of the adult book Creature produced roughly two years ago. And like the kangaroo jumping away from the letter "K", this book offers a sharp kick to every grown-up and child lucky enough to get their hands on it. A book to remind you what photography's really all about.

The striped zebra endpapers offer right from the start the kind of stark black and white feel you're going to find in this book. Turn the pages and on the left-hand page is a leg. A leg covered in marbled black scales, opening up into a five-toed foot, three nails blunt and evident. On the right-hand page is just an "Aa". Turn the page again and you find yourself nose-to-nose with a full sized alligator. The word "alligator" is nestled to its right, and one green slitted eye watches you, hungry. This format continues throughout the book. You'll see a paired big letter and little letter, and a glimpse or full-frontal shot of the creature, then the reveal of the name on the next page. Sometimes the letter will reveal a whole group of critters. "Nn" is for "nocturnal" animals like the "American badger" or the "slow loris". And "Uu" for "underwater" animals. A Glossary at the end of the book offers small facts about some of the animals pictured.

The book actually contains a kind of narrative within its pages. The transition from "Kk" to "Ll" shows a kangaroo on the left-hand page looking at a lion on the right. And you begin to wonder if certain animals were paired together on purpose. For example, the "Jj" of the jackrabbit shows a strange jumping creature with relatively long legs. To put it right before the kangaroo is to create an interesting compare and contrast. So while the relationship between one animal and another isn't straightforward, there are little moments like these that keep them interesting.

You are left with a couple questions by the end, of course. For example, "Ff" is for frog, and on the first page you see a red-eyed tree frog. Turn the page, however, and not only is the tree frog making a leap for its life, but there's a strange albino froggy sitting there as well. What kind of frog is it? A trip to the Glossary at the back will yield few answers. The facts you find there are a bit random. Each one seems to have been chosen in terms of how well it fits on the page, rather than illuminating anything in the photograph. The species of the remarkably handsome rooster is left to you to determine on your own. There are some exceptions. For example, the sweat on the hippo is explained to be a kind of natural "hippo sunscreen".

In November of 2007 Andrew Zuckerman's book Creature was released to the adult market. Most of the photographs that you will find in this book appeared previously in the adult work. There are, however, a few exceptions. For Creature ABC Zuckerman added the hippopotamus, the penguins, a porcupine, a vulture, and an oryx. In the case of the vulture and oryx, one has to assume that the guy was scrambling to cover his alphabetic bases in the "V" and "X" departments. Sadly, this previous publication of images will keep this book from being eligible for certain literary awards, but aside from that there's aren't any problems with reusing an animal or two here. Of course, once you know that Zuckerman was choosing animals based on the photographs he'd taken before, some of the letters begin to make a little more sense. "Yy" for "Yellow Canary" for example. Or "Dd" for "Dove".

All things considered Creature ABC is perhaps one of the most beautifully photographed ABC books I've ever seen. Its white backgrounds will make you forget every GAP/Macintosh commercial you've ever watched, because the animals truly sell themselves. Zuckerman knows who the real stars of the show are here. And when a kid has a chance to examine each fold on an elephant's head and every quill on a porcupine's body, that's an experience they'll not soon forget. A jaw-dropping affair.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Great book for toddlers February 1, 2010

By M. Weathers

Format:Hardcover|Amazon Verified Purchase

My two year old son loves this book. I first checked it out for him at the library, but he loved it so much that I bought a copy for him for Christmas. The animal pictures are great, and it helps my son learn his alphabet.