A grandmother in purple sneakers and a waltzing bear trip the light fantastic. A determined child coaxes her weary Nana out the door with tales of fleet-footed fauna at the local zoo. There she discovers a bevy of wild creatures impatiently awaiting her arrival. Winthrop’s tempo is definitely upbeat, swinging readers along on an exuberant, imaginative journey. She packs the rhyming verses with enough tomfoolery to tickle readers’ funny bones: “Six silly monkeys waltzed with her, / the snake curled ’round her shoes. / She danced with each and every one/ to jazz and swing and blues.” Murdocca’s full-bleed and vibrantly hued watercolor-and-ink illustrations perfectly match the over-the-top tenor of the tale. Granny sashays with a slick alligator nattily attired in a zoot suit and the hippo sports a headdress constructed out of tropical fruit while a beret-clad vulture beats out a tune on the drums. Lighthearted and fun, Winthrop’s whimsical tale will set little toes to tapping. (Picture book. 3-6)
