Fluffbuff

  I love children's books. When I was in Italy, I used to go to the Children's Illustrators Fair in Bologna and feast my eyes on the beautiful illustrations exhibited each year.

This is a book I bought a long time ago; in fact, it's not in print anymore. It was published in 1981 and it's one of my all-time favorites. It's based on the Shaker Abecedarius, used to teach children the alphabet. It's wonderfully whimsical and it really needs to be read out loud, to enjoy the cadence of the rhymes. The illustrations are delightful and evocative of times gone by.

A Peaceable Kingdom: The Shaker Abecedarius
Illustrated by Alice and Martin Provensen
Publisher: Puffin
ISBN 0140503706

Alligator, beetle, porcupine, whale,
Bobolink, panther, dragonfly, snail,

Crocodile, monkey, buffalo, hare,

Dromedary, leopard, mud turtle, bear,
Elephant, badger, pelican, ox,
Flying fish, reindeer, anaconda, fox,
Guinea pig, dolphin, antelope, goose,
Hummingbird, weasel, pickerel, moose,
Ibex, rhinoceros, owl, kangaroo,
Jackal, opossum, toad, cockatoo,

Kingfisher, peacock, anteater, bat,

Lizard, ichneumon, honeybee, rat,
Mockingbird, camel, grasshopper, mouse,
Nightingale, spider, cuttlefish, grouse,
Ocelot, pheasant, wolverine, auk,
Periwinkle, ermine, katydid, hawk,
Quail, hippopotamus, armadillo, moth,

Rattlesnake, lion, woodpecker, sloth,
Salamander, goldfinch, angleworm, dog,
Tiger, flamingo, scorpion, frog,

Unicorn, ostrich, nautilus, mole,

Viper, gorilla, basilisk, sole,
Whippoorwill, beaver, centipede, fawn,
Xanthos, canary, polliwog, swan,
Yellowhammer, eagle, hyena, lark,
Zebra, chameleon, butterfly, shark.