ABC Dance!: An Animal Alphabet

First the “aardvarks arrive with a band of baboons,” kicking off an alphabet book full of rich vocabulary and alliteration as animals show off their dance moves from A to Z, ending with the encouraging invitation for young readers to “strut your stuff!” The included animals feel intentional and diverse, from recognizable animals like dolphins and foxes to the lesser known vicuña and xeme. Even the magical unicorn gets featured for the letter U. The rhyming text shares each animal and the dance they’re doing with smooth alliteration, such as “Llamas lambada. Those meerkats can move!” and “Water buffalo waltz—watch them winsomely whirl.” With bright, colorful backgrounds and darling animals, this energizing read also includes a final page displaying the entire alphabet along with an illustration of each animal and its name. The text contains some wonderful rhymes, and the overall flow is fun and spunky, perfectly fitting with the upbeat theme. This board book from sister team Sabrina and Eunice Moyle is surprisingly substantive and, with its inclusion of a variety of dances like the hustle, the dab (a timely inclusion), or the slide, will be especially appreciated by parents who love to host kitchen dance parties.