Little Concepts: A is for Apricat: Learn Your ABCs with These Deliciously Adorable Food & Critter Mash-Ups!

by Mauro Gatti

Overview

Learn the ABCs through cute, quirky mash-ups of animals and food, from Apricat to Zebrussels Sprout!

A is for Apricat is a fun, creative way for kids to learn their ABCs. Combining photos of fresh fruits and vegetables with cute illustrations of animals, illustrator Mauro Gatti has created a whole new kind of critter! The Apricat has the round, fuzzy body of a real apricot, with the adorable whiskers and face of a kitten. And the Turkale may have the head and neck of a turkey, but its body is fresh and green.

Each page features a letter with a new fruit or vegetable creature, paired with simple text to help kids learn the letter, the animal, and the food. A food facts page at the back explains the health benefits of each featured food with playful, kid-geared language.

Promoting healthy eating and imaginative thinking, this unique, lighthearted take on a basic concept will be enjoyed by kids and parents alike.

The Little Concepts series helps young readers learn their ABCs with adorable illustrations featuring unique animals, colors, languages, and healthy foods. From A to Z, learning the alphabet (even in Spanish and French!) has never been so surprising and engaging.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781633227224
Publisher:	Walter Foster Publishing
Publication date:	09/03/2019
Series:	Little Concepts Series , #6
Pages:	28
Product dimensions:	6.90(w) x 6.90(h) x 0.50(d)
Lexile:	610L (what's this?)
Age Range:	3 - 6 Years

About the Author

Mauro Gatti is an Italian illustrator and designer based in Los Angeles. Humorous, sharp, and creative, Gatti's iconic, retro-inspired work has been globally recognized. Over the last 10 years, he has been leading creative teams of designers, working on projects in the new media, design, and motion graphics fields, focusing in particular on the mobile arena (storytelling and game design). He has developed work for MTV, Google, Disney, Nike, Diesel, Barilla, Vans, Yahoo!, Sky TV, Red Bull, and Vogue. From the illustrations he has produced for advertising, magazines, album sleeves, books, mobile apps, and fashion, he is known as an illustrator whose productions capture the comical side of life in a simple, yet memorable, way. Visit his website at www.maurogatti.com.

Editorial Reviews

09/16/2019

Nutrition meets wordplay in Gatti’s risible romp through the alphabet. The first page introduces the concept of combining a “tasty treat” with an “adorable critter,” showing an equation that melds photographs of an apricot and a kitten. The resulting creature—“apricat”—shows a buttery apricot sporting cartoonish cat features, legs, and a striped brown tail. Brief text matches the playful mood from “apricat” to “zebrussels sprout,” describing the “broccolion” as “the (very gassy) king of the jungle,” while the “moushroom” “tastes great with stinky cheese.” Humorous digital collage illustrations riff on the produce shapes to incorporate googly eyes and animal elements. Though the board book may encourage readers to play with their food, this adds up to an enjoyable introduction to the ABCs. Ages 3–6. (Sept.)

Publishers Weekly

2019-08-26
Mix an animal or an insect with food and what do you get? A critter mashup.

In this book, 26 such critters are presented—one for each letter of the alphabet. Take an apricot and mix it with a cat, and the result is the titular apricat. Or a coconut and a cow combine for a cowconut. Each letter/creature occupies one page, a photo of the edible digitally incorporated into a simple, bright illustration that rests against white space. Some of these mixes are more successful than others. Mix a flamingo with a mango and the result is a flamango, but mix an ape with a grape and the result is still a grape? Or a dragon with a dragon fruit and the result is still a dragon fruit? Or, mix a deer with an eggplant and the result is an elkplant? Just in case readers don't get it, accompanying each new creature is a statement. For example: "LEMONSAUR / Just a spoonful of sugar will help sweeten this sourpuss"; "PEANGUIN / Frozen legumes know how to play it cool." Though it might inspire some readers to come up with their own creations, it is hard to know who the intended audience for the book is. The statements will probably go right over the heads of most young children and fall flat with adults. A final page offers some facts on each featured food.

Take a pass on this one. (Board book. 3-6)

Kirkus Reviews