Dear Zoo: Lift the Flaps

Product Information

I hope you enjoyed this list of zoo animal books. Do you have any favorite zoo books to add to our list?

I would actually argue that this is one of the most dystopian picturebooks I have ever read and it's unsettling. Dear Zoo” was written as a lift-the-flap board book in 1982, by the Scottish author, Rod Campbell. It is his most famous work, and thirty-five years later, it is still tremendously popular among the under fives in Great Britain, and has been translated into more than a dozen different languages.

Animal books kids aged for 3 - 5 years old

It's comment on people may seem too harsh, and on animals it is also too harsh and humanizing, critical and unjust, and though I resist it - I also ask, is it really as extreme as it's first impression? But when she is forced into hiding for a thorough zoo cleaning, everyone realizes how important spiders are to the zoo ecosystem. I love this message because my kids are afraid of spiders and this picture book helps us to appreciate them. [picture book, ages 2 and up] Dear Zoo has a good mixture of words and pictures, with uncomplicated, simple sentences, which are perfect for teaching our little ones to read. The language is easily understandable for a child, with descriptive words that may form part of their vocabulary already. The story involves a young child writing to the zoo because they want a pet, which adds a bit of magic to the book, and will capture their imaginations long after the book is put down. Why we like Dear Zoo Put Me in the Zoo was written and illustrated by Robert Lopshire. This fun book follows an animal named Spot who wants to live in the zoo. But when the zoo won’t let him stay, he shows two young kids all of the fun things that he can do with his spots. This silly rhyming story is accompanied by fun over-the-top illustrations that kids will love. Picture Books A favorite in our house when the kids were younger was the (almost) wordless picture book Good Night, Gorilla by Peggy Rathman.

The colours along the journey are fairly bright, however, there is a consistent juxtaposition between the colours on the verso -which is where the humans are repeatedly situated- and the animals in captivity on the recto. The clothes that the humans are wearing contribute to the bright colours on the verso. Some of the clothes could be perceived as a representation of the way that humans mistreat animals for our benefit. For example, some characters are wearing leopard print coats and tiger printed trousers, suggesting that zoos are not the only way in which we unnecessarily maltreat animals. A boy goes to the Zoo with his Mum, Dad and brother, where they see a variety of animals and enjoy the delights of the zoo. Poor old mum has to endure Dad’s bad jokes and her two cheeky monkeys messing about, but they all have a good day in the end. These 20+ amazing photos show the details of many zoo animals from their eyelashes to tongues, along with posing some very interesting details about many zoo residents. Great for kids ages 3+ (really, this is a cool book even for adults!) We all know that it’s not possible to pet most of the animals at the zoo, so this book introduces younger children to what they might feel like if they were able to get up close. Fun for ages 1 – 4 years. A visit to the zoo can be full of so many fun adventures and learning opportunities. Kids can not only learn about the animals, but also the importance of protecting these animals and their habitats. This list of children’s books about the zoo embrace the wonder and joy of a day spent with the animals. You can also explore zoo animal pictures through real life example zoo books. 20 Zoo Books for Kids

Books Multibuys

We are big fans of Little Critter books — the kids find them very funny. Kids will love My Trip to the Zoosince it’s all about animal noises 🙂

Pinkalicious and the Pinkatastic Zoo Day is another Early Reader book which will entice fans of the series to start reading on their own. See what happens when they visit the monkeys — and then have to return to the zoo the next day!And for some creative fun, take along the At the Zoo Scratch & Sketch (An Art Activity Book for Animal Lovers and Artists of All Ages) (Trace-Along Scratch and Sketch) . Your kids will love to observe and scratch/sketch the animals they see on their visit. In some ways, 11-year-old Whit is like an animal at the zoo where his parents work. He is homeschooled here at the zoo and doesn’t leave the premises much. When he meets “Bird Girl” who comes each day to draw the birds, he finally has the chance to talk to someone his age. The voices of each animal, as written by Katherine Applegate, manage to convey not just their story of how they came to this urban sad zoo, but their personalities as if we could see into their souls.

This picture book often makes the Banned and Challenged book list each year. It’s based on a true zoo story: A memorable quote of the book is ‘Everyone laughed except Mum and Harry and me’ which does a great job describing the only person to laugh was Dad. Good Night Zoo (Good Night Our World) was written by Adam Gamble and illustrated by Cooper Kelly. This entry in the Good Night Our World series takes readers on a stroll around the zoo, greeting all the animals they encounter. The story starts by saying good morning, and eventually winds down to a peaceful good night. This is a great one for settling little ones in at bedtime.The people featured in the book are dressed in animal patterned clothing, having animal-like features or in some cases they are physically a bizarre mixture of human and actual animal whilst the animals themselves are drawn in an incredibly life-like and realistic way and Browne really shows off his mastery in his gorilla illustration. This book is an excellent example of the essential role pictures can play in a story as we can infer so much from them. When I "read" it, I had a box marked "From the Zoo" (as if the kids could read it) and I would just say the same line over and over again: What kind of pet would you like from the zoo? An elephant, a lion, a snake – or something a bit smaller, and cuddlier and playful? Lift the flaps and see what has been sent – it’s bound to be a surprise! As he hasn't ruled out one day becoming a zookeeper, Ben found the premise of this book intriguing; a kid writes a letter to the zoo and gets free stuff. Sounds great, right? After all, he's currently unemployed and can't very well buy his own things, let alone afford a pet. Also there's flaps and those always blow his mind. First, it’s a large (over-sized) book which allows the illustrations to be examined more carefully. Second, it allows kids to explore animals from around the world as they are shared in different ways, such as ‘at night’ and ‘underground’. Adults and older kids will enjoy all the fun animal facts shared in the appendix. Wonderful for kids ages 3 – 9 years.