This is an alphabet book after every typography aficionado’s heart. Like the title suggests, there are 26 central ‘alphabeasties’ featured in the book, beginning with Alligator and ending with Zebra (naturally).

While this sounds like what 10,000 other alphabet books have already done, the difference here lies in the illustrations — or lack-thereof, at least in the conventional sense. Instead of their usual uniform and nondescript roles in any given book, typefaces are the star here. Not only do they dress up the text, but they also literally shape the illustrations, which are either entirely or partially made up of letters in various typefaces.

Each central alphabeastie is completely ‘drawn’ with its beginning letter in a font that somehow manages to bring out its essence — e.g. the alligator’s serif font has a sharpness to the capital A’s that mimics its ferocious jaws, while the hippo’s sans-serif H’s have a balloony roundness that echoes its rotundness.

Kids will probably enjoy the bold graphics and numerous fold-out pages most, while anyone who has an interest in design and aesthetics will be more tickled by the delightful little ‘sidebars’ on each letter spread featuring other wittily illustrated objects as well as typefaces, along with whimsical descriptions and insightful comments.