At the Zoo Feeding Time at the Zoo By Sherry Shahan (Random House, 2000) More good photos picture animals as they munch, crunch, and lunch. The simple text describes a little about what several popular zoo animals eat and how keepers feed them. Gorillas and Their Babies By Marianne Johnston (The Rosen Publishing Group, 1999) This book is one of a series about animals and their babies. Though written for young readers, they contain many scientific facts, word pronunciations, and other instructional features. This title covers gorilla behavior and family life and is illustrated with good, clear photographs. Little Panda: The World Welcomes Hua Mei at the San Diego Zoo By Joanne Ryder (Simon and Schuster, 2002) Hua Mei is the first giant panda cub to survive in captivity in the Western Hemisphere, and this is the story of her infancy at the San Diego Zoo. Beguiling photographs document her growth and learning, and the text is written on two levels. Large type explains the photos in simple generalities, and smaller captions on each page elaborate for older readers. This is a gentle book about a fascinating creature. My Visit to the Zoo By Aliki (Harper and Row, 1997) Two young cousins tour Aliki’s zoo, which is a composite of ideal habitats. The text includes a lot of information about the lives and behaviors of zoo animals, and readers will enjoy the detailed habitat drawings, which identify each animal by name and by where it is found in the wild. One major theme is endangered species, and a list of endangered animals worldwide appears at the end of the book. Throughout, the author makes her case for the caring role of zoos in stemming the tide of extinction and endangerment. Peter and the Pigeons By Charlotte Zolotow (Greenwillow Books, 1993) Peter, who loves pigeons, takes a trip to the zoo with his dad to see if he might find an animal he likes better. They consider many animals together, stopping to admire zebras, hippos, and all the others. In the end, however, Peter remains true to his pigeons. A good read-aloud book. The Tiger Has a Toothache: Helping Animals at the Zoo By Patricia Lauber (National Geographic, 1999) Short vignettes in this book describe the daily dilemmas of a zoo veterinarian. What to do about the parrot that loses her voice or the snake that can’t lay her eggs? Watercolors effectively illustrate the stories, each of which has a happy ending. Tiger, Tiger, Growing Up . . . By Joan Hewett (Clarion Books, 1993) Accompanied by irresistible photographs, this story follows the first year of a Bengal tiger named Tara. Taught by her loving keepers in the zoo and in their homes, she learns to play and interact, and behave like a tiger, eventually graduating to her outdoor enclosure. She and her keepers travel to schools as ambassadors for endangered tigers, and to teach kids what a special animal she is. What Do You Do at a Petting Zoo? By Hana Machotka (Morrow Junior Books, 1990) Photographs illustrate this elementary guide to petting and children’s zoos. Close-ups of horns, hooves, tails, feathers, and fur are followed by descriptions of each animal you might expect to see. Kids can guess as you read what kind of animal each part belongs to. Working at a Zoo By Bertram T. Knight (Children’s Press, 1998) Meet curators, keepers, veterinarians, zoologists, office workers, exhibit designers, and others in the large cast it takes to run a zoo. Readers will enjoy learning about all the jobs at the zoo, and photographs convey a sense of the mutual respect between zoo animals and the people who work with them. While this book focuses on human workers at the zoo, it ends with picture annotations that give further information about the animals. Zoo Clues: Making the Most of Your Visit to the Zoo By Sheldon L. Gerstenfeld, V.M.D. (Viking, 1991) These interesting facts and statistics about favorite zoo animals are whimsically presented as easy morsels of information. Tantalizing tidbits about measurements, physical characteristics, eating and "dating" habits, senses, and behaviors make good reading before a zoo visit. Tips for observing the animals make the book a useful "field guide" at the zoo. Did you know that anteaters don’t have teeth? Or that zebras bark like dogs? Zoo Written and illustrated by Gail Gibbons (Thomas Y. Crowell, 1987) This simple story takes readers through a day at the zoo, behind the scenes and along the public pathways, from nursery to petting zoo. It makes an easy introduction for young children into the jobs of zookeepers and vets, and it offers a peek at the lives of zoo animals. A good book to read together to prepare for or remember a zoo visit. | Home | Article Archive | Book Review Archive |