animalopoeia™ are animals who look the same as they sound. Each of the 25 animals is composed of the letters of the sound it makes. Animals make sounds. With animalopoeia the sounds also make the animal! The intent was to create a picture book that promotes visual and verbal literacy and to do so by synthesizing pictures and words and sounds (via typography). The desired result is a love of reading and animals.

The same approach used in designing a logo went into designing each animal for this picture book. Form and meaning were distilled using the play of positive and negative space. Simple shapes and solid colors ensure legibility and reproduction in a variety of sizes and across various media.

Fonts were chosen for their visual expression of the animals' features and their personalities. Colors were chosen to be dark enough to provide the right contrast for babies' eyes, yet bright enough to be appealing to children, but not so bright as to be unnatural. Shapes were kept soft, organic, and friendly as well as minimal so that the type would be the star.

A book that is an easy choice as a gift, but which has real educational merit lauded by teachers, librarians, speech therapists, and reviewers. It also defies the traditional age range categories. Although officially designated for 3–5 year olds, this is a picture book for all ages. It is an early concept book for kids learning shapes, colors, letters, animals and their sounds. With the sounds 'hiding' in full view, it is a primer for younger kids, a puzzle for older kids, and a gift for design enthusiasts and typography fans.