Alpacas Here, Alpacas There, by Carrie Tillotson/Illustrated by Elisa Chavarri, (Feb. 2025, Beach Lane Books), $18.99, ISBN: 9781665942027
Ages 3-8
This delightful illustrated rhyming book went over very well at storytime yesterday! These adorable big-eyed, lushly lashed animals have their moment in this fun and informative rhyming story loaded with alpaca facts. The story begins with alpacas’ domestication thousands of years ago in the Andes Mountains, when the people living among them used their fleece to keep warm in the cold mountain climate. From there, Tillotson provides a glimpse into alpaca life and behavior, with rhyming text making for an engaging storytime and informative paragraphs on each spread, providing deeper context and more information. Tilloton weaves beautiful imagery with her verse; paired with Chavarri’s charming and textured illustration, engaging moments abound: “While winter brings its crystal shawl, / In summer’s blaze / they laze and sprawl” shows alpacas steadfastly standing on the mountains as the winds whip around them, then enjoying a warm afternoon in a wading pool. Alpacas Here, Alpacas There is a cheerful and enlightening introduction to the smiling and fluffy animals. Endpapers feature a bevy of colorful alpacas across a stark white page. An excellent addition to storytime and picture book collections. Back matter includes an notes from the author and the artist, a glossary, and additional sources. Find some fun coloring pages to hand out after storytime here at Coloring.ws.
Mom Read It 