Book Review of Illustrated Alphabet with Interesting Facts: Includes Their First Emotions
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The Children’s Book Review
Illustrated Alphabet with Interesting Facts: Includes Their First Emotions
Written by Pau Ju and Ricardo Caralca
Illustrated by Pau Ju
Ages: 3-6 | 80 Pages
Publisher: Alimaña (2026) | ISBN: Paperback (English): 979-1388410017; eBook (English): 979-1388410024; Hardcover (Spanish): 979-1388410062 (only in Spain); Paperback (Spanish): 979-1388410000; eBook (Spanish): 979-1388410031
What to Expect: Alphabet, literacy learning, emotions, facts.
This fun and beautifully illustrated alphabet book weaves two threads through the classic ABC format at once.
First, each page spread pairs familiar words — apple, ant, astronaut — with bite-sized facts that turn each image into a small discovery: an apple floats because it’s full of air, an ant breathes through tiny holes along its body, an astronaut’s heart grows rounder in zero gravity. Scattered between the alphabet spreads, double-page spreads name and define specific emotions — fear, excitement, hate — pairing a plain-language definition with a depiction that emphasizes physical experience—eyes wide with wonder, for example, or cheeks flushed with anger. Together, these two strands don’t just teach the alphabet—they also ask young readers to notice the world around them and their own inner world with the same close attention.
As with any alphabet book, the pictures carry as much weight as the text, and Pau Ju and Ric Caralca use artwork to maximum effect: every object, from a fuzzy-coated alpaca to the intricate patterning on an iguana, is rendered with a raised, embroidered-looking texture that gives even a simple apple the satisfying three-dimensionality of a plush toy. Backgrounds of moody violet and midnight-blue gradients make each object glow rather than sit flat on the page, and the emotion spreads use color to mirror inner feelings: a grumpy bunny’s blue-gray fur against hot, flushed red faces communicates “hate” as clearly as the definition beside it. Scale plays its own game too: for example, a spectacled, mountain-sized face gazes down at a small girl on the full-alphabet overview, offering a visual joke about how enormous the whole alphabet can feel from a beginner’s-eye view.
Perfect for curious, fact-hungry three- to six-year-olds, Illustrated Alphabet with Interesting Facts provides caregivers with a beautiful tool for readers starting to name feelings out loud.
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About the Author
Pau Ju trained as a designer at the Oviedo School of Art. After working in the advertising industry, she earned an advanced degree in filmmaking, editing, post-production, and 3D. After six months working at TV production companies, she embarked on a new phase as a freelancer to take on more creative challenges. Years later, she founded an audiovisual production company with the love of her life, Ric Caralca. After having two energetic and curious kids, they decided to create children’s books, with their children serving as their absolute source of inspiration and love.
For more information, visit https://alimana.es/.
Dedicated Reviews allow authors and illustrators to gain prompt visibility for their work. This is a sponsored*, unbiased review of Illustrated Alphabet with Interesting Facts: Includes Their First Emotions. Learn more about getting a book review …
