Zoo Day
By Anne Rockwell
Illustrated by Lizzy Rockwell
Another My First Experience book. This time at the zoo!
A little boy visits the zoo for the first time and is enthralled by all its wonders.
Joined by his parents and sister, Lucy, the boy relates each part of the day, from buying tickets to studying the zoo map and the slightly alarming animal sounds he hears in the near distance. But as they wind their way through the park, visiting the Jungle House to see the monkeys, the Gorilla Forest, the African Plain and its elephants, the lions inside the Grasslands building, the Reptile House, and polar bears and sea lions, the new experience of seeing the animals and their behaviors up close fascinates this youngster. The initial trepidation the boy felt at the beginning of his day gives way to sheer delight in the Bird House, where the birds fly freely and a parrot lands on his shoulder for a sip of nectar. A picnic lunch and a couple of balloons for souvenirs complete the perfect Saturday outing for this brown-skinned family of four. Detailed watercolors rendered in soft hues fluently complement the boy’s first-person narrative and give readers a firsthand view of the zoo’s residents.
Following on Library Day (2016), this is a lovely addition to the creators’ series on first experiences. (Picture book. 4-6)
-Kirkus Reviews, October 2016
Hardbound ISBN: 978-1-4814-2731-9