Reviews for An A to Z Walk In the Park

Breeni Books
"Graphic artist and illustrator R. M. Smith brings a delightful adventure to preschool children everywhere with An A to Z Walk in the Park. The 2008 release leads readers on a walk through an imaginary park filled with wildlife. Beginning with the letter "A" and closing on the letter "Z," children are introduced to an entire alphabet of more than 200 animals--some familiar, some more exotic. Even parents won't recognize all of the animals peeking out from the pages. There's something for everyone to learn!

The illustrations are detailed, brightly colored, and guaranteed to capture a child's attention. There is very little text, but it is filled with words that correspond to each letter, furthering the cognitive experience. There are plenty of common farm and zoo animals for children to recognize, but the hordes of more exotic animals will provide lots of opportunity for discussion and future research. Even with my son's unhealthy 24/7 addiction to Animal Planet, there were still plenty of new species to discover.

Our own discussion centered on the hodge podge of animals arranged on each page. Of course, there's no way these animals could survive in one locale together in real life. A cobra and a chipmunk aren't going to get along very long in enclosed surroundings. So we got a kick out of discussing which animals would eat each other and who would be the reigning survivor.

With its gorgeous illustrations and educational content, An A to Z Walk in the Park is destined to be a hit with young readers. The intended audience is ages 3 to 7. A visit to the book's web site yields corresponding puzzles, word searches, and printable coloring sheets. I would love to see some art prints from the book made available, because the pictures would make beautiful room decor for a child's bedroom. Hopefully, there are more children's books in the works from R. M. Smith."

–Sabrina Williams, Breeni Books

Front Street Reviews
"The idea of the book is very engaging. It is a great way for children to not only learn the alphabet and the sounds that the letters make, but it also helps them learn a little bit about various animals. While the descriptions of the animals are not in-depth, they really don’t need to be. The children still get to learn what the animals look like. Also, through the pictures, children will get to see where the animals live. A good example of this is where in the text, it is pointed out that the Kinkajou wraps its tail around objects. Then, when children look at the picture, they can see that the Kinkajou is up in a tree with its tail wrapped around a branch.

The illustrations in An A to Z Walk are bright and colorful. The colors and whimsy of the pictures will likely catch the attention of any child. Also, the pictures seem to be rather accurate as to what the animals should look like. This will be helpful for children to start identifying animals on their own, especially some of the more well-known ones.

Some other things that are notable about the book are that, in the back, there is an index of each animal that is featured in the book. This could be helpful for children to start using a simple table to find what they are looking for. Also, the book offers a link to the corresponding Website, which offers more activities for children, such as puzzles and other games.

I would say that An A to Z Walk In the Park is a fun and educational book for younger children. It is a fun way for kids to start learning their alphabet, and to learn a little bit about some of the animals that they might see at the zoo, or even some that they might find at home. It is a cute and fun tool to help kids get a head start on learning."

–A. E. Jaskiewicz, Front Street Reviews

KidsBookshelf
"Follow the footprints that lead through an open gate into a park full of wonderful creatures from A to Z. This unique alphabet book identifies over 200 animals from armadillo and aphid to zebra and zebu and many more in between. The vivid illustrations introduce young readers to a multitude of amazing animals, and they'll have fun searching the pages for new and familiar creatures."

–Christina Lewis, KidsBookshelf

Amazon Top 50 Reviewer
"Take your young reader on a walk through the alphabet, and take them for a walk through the park at the same time! This wonderful little book is an A-to-Z in the form of a walk through the park. Each page has brightly colored illustrations, and zippy text that links the letter with a group of animals in the illustration. For example, "Hinting that it might be their turn now, the beasts from Hh put forth a Horse, a hungry Hippopotamus, and a Hedgehog." And each of those animals, and more, can be found right there.

Now, how do you know that a children's book is a good one? I would say that when my four-year-old brings the book to me, ignoring the TV, and asks me to read it to her for the FOURTH time, that that is a good children's book...no, a great children's book. I read the words, and she looked at the animals, trying to identify each one. Yeah, this is a great book, one that she really likes, and I really like as well. My hat's off to the author - well done!"

–Kurt A. Johnson, Amazon Top 50 Reviewer


Through the Looking Glass Children's Book Review
"Welcome everyone! We are going to visit a park which is full of interesting animals of all kinds. In the process we are going to exercise our alphabet muscles. For each letter of the alphabet we are going to find a whole collection of animals whose name begins with that letter. In addition we are going to use words in a creative way to describe our journey and the animals we see.

So, for the letter B we are going to see, among other things, a bear, a baboon, a badger, and a bee. We are going to also use the words “batch” and “bounds” to describe our finds. For the letter L we are going to “lure in the king of the jungle” and we are going to “luck out” with such creatures as a llama, a lemur, a ladybug, and a lizard.

In this title R. M. Smith has found a very creative way to explore the alphabet using animals as the focus of the journey. The text is clever, and the lovely illustrations are clever and a joy to look at."

–Through the Looking Glass Children's Book Review


Midwest Book Review
"An A to Z Walk in the Park is a charming, softcover children's alphabet picturebook featuring colorful illustrations of over 200 zoo animals. The result is a fun way for young animal lovers to learn their ABCs! Especially recommended for parents to read aloud with children, as some of the alliterative verses are virtual tongue-twisters in their own right. "Ambling about the park for the letter Aa approaches an Alligator allying with an Aye-aye and a host of affable walk-alongs."

–Midwest Book Review

Blogcritics Magazine
"An A to Z Walk in the Park by R.M. Smith is a lovely animal themed stroll through the alphabet. This 9” by 9” picture book is aimed at the three to seven year old age group, and it should please animal loving youngsters with its combination of exotic and familiar beasts. An A to Z Walk in the Park gives good value for the money. Animal loving children will enjoy their promenade through Smith’s park."

–Gerry Weaver, Blogcrictics Magazine