Books About The Zoo

The zoo was a favorite as a child and now as a mom even though it’s a huge event to pack up the kids we all have a blast. We keep the fun going by reading books about eh zoo and talking about our own experiences after getting home.

Inside a Zoo in the City by Alyssa Satin Capucilli is a rebus read along , so children who can’t read words yet can help read this with pictures put right into the text! The story is repetitive and builds with one animal and page at a time. Preschoolers love these books and the repetitive nature of it makes it interactive and fun!

1, 2, 3 to the Zoo by Eric Carle is fun counting book perfect for toddlers. Actually as I type this my toddler is reading it. There are no words, just pictures and numbers and that makes it perfect for toddlers who are just learning both numbers and animals because parents can read it slowly counting , naming the animals and making the animal sounds, or more quickly just counting!

Peek-a-Zoo! by Marie Torres Cimarusti is a vibrant lift the flap book that goes through sounds different animals make while playing peek a boo with the reader. What I like about this book is that the flaps offer a chance for your baby or toddler to anticipate what animal it hiding as well as the sound , so it grows with them. Also the flaps are large enough that little hands can grab them and won’t get frustrated.

Good Night, Gorilla by Peggy Rathmann is simply one of my favorite books ever. I love it and love that my daughter doesn’t fuss when I read it to her because it was a special book for my son when he was little and it’s a book he will still curl up and read quietly with us, making it fun cuddle time for all three of us. If you aren’t familiar with this book it’s all about a sneaky gorilla who unlocks all the animals at the zoo and they quietly follow the zoo keeper home and climb into bed with him, until his wife wakes up! I love this book cause I relate to the zoo keepers wife, when I wake up there is always a sneaky 3-year-old gorilla in my bed!

The Great Escape from City Zoo by Tohby Riddle is a really funny book, as long as the readers are old enough to get it. Even if they don’t get the tongue and cheek humor young kids will still enjoy the story. It’s a funny tale about 4 zoo animals who break free from the zoo and live life on the outside as fugitives. The fugitive animals get themselves into many pop culture scenes adults reading the book will appreciate like  crossing the street like the Abbey Road album cover, another that channels Edward Hopper’s Nighthawks and more. I loved this book and really appreciate it when authors recognize that parents like to have a little something just for them in a book from time to time as well.