A Night at the Zoo

August 1, 2014
One boy, one dad, one cellphone and one ill-timed nap add up to one crazy trip to the zoo. Ever wonder what happens after hours at the zoo? When Mom calls Pop and Sam at the end of their zoo outing, they decide to eat one last container of popcorn on the bench. The popcorn has a soporific effect, and both father and son fall into a deep sleep, missing the closing announcement. The animals parade out, wearing party hats of all sorts, and are drawn to the cellphone resting next to Pop. Once the monkey gets his hands on it, he starts taking pictures. The night guard discovers the napping father and son, the animals are startled, and the phone is temporarily lost. Telling a story with very limited vocabulary, short sentences and one-, two- and three-syllable words is a challenge, but Caple's amusing, full-color ink-and-watercolor illustrations of animals gone wild extend the simple text and deepen the story. Very new readers will find success here, and adults will chuckle along with the silly situations shown in the pictures. Teachers can use this to jump-start youngsters' imaginations-what might happen after dark in other common places? Young animal lovers will find much to laugh at here. (Early reader. 3-6)

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August 1, 2014

PreS-Gr 1-In this thoroughly modern visit to the zoo, Sam and Pop use a cell phone to snap pictures and chat with Mom. When the exhausted duo nap, they end up sleeping right through the zoo's closing. Unbeknownst to them, the animals cavort and play in the moonlight and discover the cell phone! It passes from an ostrich to a parrot and then goes from animal to animal in a whirl of chaotic, onomatopoeic action. The clamor and arrival of the night security guard wakes Sam and Pop and scatters the animals. The phoneless pair are surprised when the parrot flies over and drops the cell into their hands-and they are even more amazed to see all the animal selfies it holds. While the full-color pen, ink, and acrylic cartoons break no new ground, the presence of the cell phone, a constant part of many kids' experiences, will delight children. The text is easy enough for emerging readers to tackle on their own, and the sound effects that the bold type invites will have even the youngest child joining in to ring, bop, snap, and yip.-Marge Loch-Wouters, La Crosse Public Library, WI

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