Our top 5 books about the zoo
We love going to the Melbourne zoo! It makes a great outing for Rowan, gives me a much-needed walk, and we often meet up with friends there. And despite best intentions, we usually end up doing the same route every time; the elephants, butterflies and orangutans circuit is just too good to miss… Our books about zoo animals go down really well before or in between visits to the zoo. And as Rowan is mastering a growing vocabulary of first words, animals noises are also a big favourite at the moment.
Here are our Top 5 books about the zoo.
1. Dear Zoo (Rod Campbell)
What would happen if you wrote a letter to the zoo and asked them for a pet? Now celebrating 25 years (I remember reading this one to my 27 year old sister!!), this is a classic zoo book, with bright, bold pictures, predictable text and those ever-so-alluring lift-up flaps! Ideal for babies and toddlers. Age 0+
2. Bruno Munari’s Zoo (Bruno Munari)
From my favourite publisher, Chronicle Books, comes this classic. Bruno Munari was a contemporary of Leo Leonni (another of my all-time favourites) and his illustrations have the same beautiful retro quality. This and the distinctive humour communicated through the text and illustrations make it one to be enjoyed by toddlers and appreciated by adults and collectors. (As mentioned in a previous post, I bought my beautiful hardback copy at Mockingbird Books.) Age 2+
3. Good Night, Gorilla (Peggy Rathmann) 
Rowan and I have been reading this one since he was a newborn. With minimal text, the story gets read slightly differently each time. It tells the delightful tale of a zookeeper saying goodnight to the animals in the zoo. Little does he know that he is being followed by the gorilla who has a hold of his keys. This one really gets your imagination working about the keepers who are behind the scenes at the zoo, and what the animals get up to after hours… With the bedtime theme, this is a great one for reading just before a sleep. Age 0+
4. Queenie: One Elephant’s Story (Corinne Fenton)
This book tells the true story of Queenie, an elephant who lived at the Melbourne Zoo for more than 40 years. At a time when elephant rides were an accepted part of a visit to the zoo, Queenie was a famous animal, and she received hundreds of letters from her fans. In describing her life, the book touches on events of the first half of the 20th century, from the long journey travelling by boat from India to Australia, to Melbourne’s Centenary Celebrations and sad repercussions of the Second World War for zoo animals. The illustrations compliment this theme by having a historical feel. It would make a great start to various discussion points with older kids. Age 3+
5. Zoo! (Lori Froeb)
As reviewed in Lou’s previous post, this is a magnificent fold-out counting book. I’ve witnessed Ned captivated by this one, and the lovely bright illustrations and larger than life fold-outs are fantastic. This would make a great present for a baby or a toddler. Age 0+
We’ve checked out Dear Zoo and Good Night Gorilla from the library more times than I can count. Jake (20 months) has always loved animals and the interactive flaps in Dear Zoo meant it was hit early on. Now as he’s getting older both books lend themselves to lots of extension chats and we can easily see them contining to come home for a few years more. Haven’t see Lori Froeb’s Zoo, so have to try that next time!
30 Mar 2008 at 1.12 pm
I’m that 27 year old sister and I still love Dear Zoo! It would be on my all time “favorite” list of kids books, along with The Very Hungry Caterpillar and Possum Magic. I think I must have ruined my first copy of Dear Zoo, because I can remember having this pristine hardback sitting in my shelves for ages - too scared to read it in case I wrecked it - long after I had grown out of ripping books.
31 Mar 2008 at 5.09 pm
We have ‘Dear Zoo’ but I’ll be skooting down to the library to check out the other four books as quick as you could say ‘Dear Zoo’. Tycho is currently 19 months and is obsessed with animals. He can’t get enough of them. In real life, in books, ornaments, and soft toys. This site is really lovely and I’ll be back to visit on a regular basis.
31 Mar 2008 at 7.42 pm
Hey Lou
This site is great, you have been busy.
Tenzin misses her mates and it is a shame we have not managed to catch up over this holiday.
Dear Zoois one of Tenzin’s favourite books, she knows exactly where all the flaps are and the noises for the animals, She growls at any lions, tigers or scary looking things.
Kepp up the good work
Helena
04 Apr 2008 at 9.16 pm
On the subject of zoo animals there’s a very cheeky book about a naughty little rhino. Makes dreadful noises whenever he is spoken to. My grandson got the idea of the expletives quite quickly. Entitled ‘The Very Naughty Rhino’ I bought it at the Werribee Open Range Zoo which has a great collection of animal stories in their shop. The book has a happy ending - like all bad habits (at least in stories), the very naughty rhino does grow out of expletives as a means of communication. Visually the book has quite wonderful illustrations.
08 Apr 2008 at 9.52 pm
Talking about zoo animals - what about the ones in the Little Golden Books series - I think the titles are ‘The Saggy Baggy Elephant’ and ‘The Scruffy Lion’. Others in the series that I particularly remember and love (both from my childhood & then from reading to my girls) are ‘The Colour Kittens’ and ‘The Little Engine that Could’.
10 Apr 2008 at 9.33 am