CROWDS OF CREATURES

A primer of collective animal nouns.

In rhymed couplets (one line per double-page spread), Riggs introduces the very young to a “flock of geese,” a “colony of ants,” “troops of monkeys,” and more. The title ends with a review of all the creatures presented with a regrettably forced rhyme: “A pod of dolphins catches a wave. // Families go by many names!” Dogi’s naturalistic art, which has the polished look of airbrush renderings, is attractive and helpful to young ones learning to name the creatures of the animal kingdom. The images are presented against a bright white background, which, though fine in most cases, is a poor choice for some of spreads, particularly for the “cloud of bats” as it may lead readers to believe that these critters tend to roost in brightly lit areas. Some of the double spreads present one integrated scene, while others use two distinct images to illustrate the animals in question, bifurcating the tableau.

The lovely art and pleasant text is ill-served by the book design.