7 Books That Take You To the Zoo

Dear Zoo, by Rod Campbell
A little known benefit of zoo membership is that you can ask your zoo to send you pets. In this book, the narrator takes advantage of this terrific perk by writing to the zoo. They ship him several options, one at a time, in appropriate crates, and he sends each back with reasons why it won’t work. Eventually the zoo thinks very hard and comes up with the perfect pet. Before you request a pet from your local zoo, please consider the fact that you will have to pay return shipping charges on each returned animal.

Good Night Gorilla, by Peggy Rathman
As the zookeeper bids the animals good night, Gorilla stealthily follows him around, unlocking all the cages. A silent parade of animals follows the zookeeper out of the zoo, into his home, and into his bedroom. With very few words, this book is very funny, and and a very enjoyable read at bedtime or any time. Sharp-eyed readers will love keeping track of the mouse and the bananas as the animals trek back and forth from the zoo.

Pssst!, by Adam Rex
It’s not easy being a zoo animal. Sometimes you need something, like a tire, or wheelbarrow, and it’s not like there’s a way for you to order it online. When one little girl visits the zoo, each enclosure she passes involves another increasingly strange and progressively complicated demand from the animals living within. Pssst! is an outrageous, unexpected, hilarious read.

Actual Size, by Steve Jenkins
One downside to visiting the physical zoo is that the animals are too far away to really understand their scale. How big is that lion’s paw, anyway? Actual Size is a simple concept wherein animals are presented in layered-paper illustrations at their (as my daughter says) “in real life” proportions, or whatever amount fits on the page. You will be fascinated to see how the animals measure up. You will be humbled. You may even be terrified.

If I Ran the Zoo, by Dr. Seuss
Young Gerald McGrew has some big ideas for how he’d run the zoo, and this book spells them out in Dr. Seuss’s delightful, fantastical rhymes. Unsatisfied with the same old cats and dogs, McGrew suggests freeing the lions and wolves, in favor of far more unusual creatures like Lunks and Iota, all of which Gerald will be sourcing and capturing himself. If I ran the zoo, I’d put U and I together. Oh, wait, that’s what I’d do if I ran the alphabet…

Mr. Peek and the Misunderstanding at the Zoo, by Kevin Waldron
As oblivious zookeeper Mr. Peek tends to the animals while muttering unkind things about himself and his appearance, the animals overhear and think he’s talking about them! The sensitive zoo creatures are all completely off-put, and the whole zoo is gloomy with self-doubt. When Mr. Peek’s son points out they got their jackets switched, Mr. Peek’s outlook improves, as do the things he’s saying to himself as he makes his rounds, and so do the attitudes of all the animals he passes the rest of the day.

Edward the Emu, by Sheena Knowles, illustrated by Rod Clement
Feeling underappreciated, Edward the Emu decides to try life as other animals in the zoo. Highly suggestible Edward follows the whims of the zoogoers as they announce their own favorite animals. Watching the tall, striking bird attempt to be a seal, a lion, and a snake is quite enjoyable, as is when Edward decides to be an emu again, this time with a friend.