A Peaceable Kingdom

The last few remaining Shakers (an American Sect) may well have died out by now: the afterword to this book reports that 'by 1976 there were only several elderly female members left,' but we do have this entertaining Shaker Abecedarius which the Provensens have illustrated with a series of pictures that, as well as showing the animal, illuminate the Shaker way of life.

A very diverse selection of animals, some real, some fabulous, have been chosen to represent the letters of the alphabet, each being followed by three other random animals to form a series of strongly rhythmic, rhyming couplets: 'Alligator, Beetle, Porcupine. Whale: Bobolink, Panther, Dragonfly, Snail: Unicorn, Ostrich. Nautilus, Mole: Viper, Gorilla, Basilisk, Sole'. An oddity yes, but surely one which will help satisfy children's delight in unusual words and rhyme: and my guess is that it is likely to prove highly memorable after one or two hearings.