Zoo Day

PreS-Gr 1—A boy describes his first trip to the zoo with his family. Howls, squawks, barks, splashes, grunts, and whistles are just some of the sounds he hears as they walk past the cages. "I hold my father's hand tightly because the roars make me a little nervous." A full-spread map of the zoo reveals all the habitats and animals that the family will visit. They begin at the Jungle House to see the busy monkeys, followed by Gorilla Forest. Next they stop by the African Plain to view the elephants, ostriches, zebras, and giraffes. At the Reptile House, they see a boa constrictor, a poisonous coral snake, and a painted turtle. The boy's little sister runs ahead when they get to the polar bears. The children love watching the big white bears "in their underwater dance," but their father hurries them along because it's feeding time for the sea lions. As the zookeeper throws the shiny silver fish to the excited barking diners, the boy realizes he, too, is hungry. After a picnic lunch, they walk through the Bird House, where there are no cages, and a parrot rests on the boy's shoulder to drink nectar from a paper cup. "I wish I could bring him home," he laments, but they do get souvenir balloons to keep. Rockwell's signature watercolor illustrations depict a loving, brown-skinned, pink-cheeked family and an exciting array of animals eating, playing, and caring for their young.