Through the Looking Glass Children's Book Reviews
A Day at a Zoo
Picture Book
For ages 5 to 9
Millbrook Press, 2009 ISBN: 978-1580138000
We are going to visit the zoo, and instead of walking around like most zoo visitors do, we are going to stay in one spot to see what happens in the zoo all day long. Here we are in front of a collection of cages at six o’clock in the morning. Many of the animals still look half asleep, and the zookeepers are already busy checking on their charges and cleaning up.
By eight o’clock most of the animals are bright-eyed and ready for the day. A new animal is being unloaded, and the food kiosks are opening up. Just two hours later the zoo is packed with visitors. Some of them are looking at the new animal, the okapi. Others are admiring Sally, the elephant that is taking a walk around the zoo with her keeper. I wonder if the man who is next to the meerkat enclosure knows that Sally is eating his snack?
At two o’clock in the afternoon, we see that one of the gibbons has escaped from his cage. He is causing quite a fuss in the zoo. Who would have thought that one not very large ape could cause so much of a problem.
This wonderfully entertaining book will give young readers plenty to look at. Every double page spread is packed with details. As the basic scene is the same, readers can watch as stories unfold in front of their eyes. Will the gibbon get caught? Will anyone realize that there is a pickpocket on the loose? Which of the people appear in all the pictures?
A simple yet engaging story, wonderfully detailed illustrations, and plenty of things to find make this a splendid picture book for anyone who likes zoos, animals, and (or) search-and-find titles.
