Zebedee's Zoo by Giles Milton and Katharine McEwen
| Zebedee's Zoo by Giles Milton and Katharine McEwen | |
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| Category: For Sharing | |
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Reviewer: Keith Dudhnath
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| Summary: A glorious picture book showing what happens in the zoo when the keeper heads home for the night. It's great fun. Recommended. | |
| Buy? Yes | Borrow? Yes |
| Pages: 32 | Date: July 2009 |
| Publisher: Orchard | |
| ISBN: 978-1408304310 | |
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Zebedee's zoo is very boring during the day: all the animals are asleep, catching Zs. However, when Zebedee heads home for the night, all the animals wake up, and the party can really get started!
I really enjoyed Zebedee's Zoo. It's great fun to see how the animals get one over on their keeper, and the party is bubbly and energetic, as parties always are. The change of pace from sleep to awake will bring even the youngest of children in on the joke. Everyone will wish they were sucking up a bowlful of strawberry jelly, just like the gorilla. It's exciting, engaging and bristling with humour.
There are strong rhymes throughout, which makes it perfect for reading aloud. Throw in a few animal noises here and there, and Zebedee's Zoo will be a much-loved favourite that they'll want you to read again and again. Although young readers might not know what a mandrill is, the rest of the vocabulary is accessible yet zesty. It suits the story perfectly.
Katharine McEwen's illustrations are brilliant. They've got a freshness that adds to the fun mood of the party, with every animal having its own individual personality. There's plenty of detail to pore over on every page. There are plenty of animals to identify, count and make the noises of. There are lots of bright, vibrant colours to identify too. It's one of those books that's great fun to read in its own right, but start to weave in a few questions here and there, and they'll learn from it too. Highly recommended.
My thanks to the publishers for sending it to Bookbag.
For more fun with exotic animals, check out A Very Strange Creature by Ronda Armitage and Layn Marlow. Chief Rhino To The Rescue by Sam Lloyd is a bit more anthropomorphic than Zebedee's Zoo, but has a similar sense of humour, and is very enjoyable.
Giles Milton was kind enough to be interviewed by Bookbag.
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You can read more book reviews or buy Zebedee's Zoo by Giles Milton and Katharine McEwen at Amazon.co.uk Amazon currently charges £2.99 for standard delivery for orders under £20, over which delivery is free.
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