When they are accidentally locked in, two children discover what a magical place the zoo becomes at midnight.
White siblings Max and Mia join excited classmates on a school trip to the zoo. By day’s end, however, the animals have failed to appear, and disappointed kids pack onto the bus and depart, leaving Max and Mia behind. At midnight, Max and Mia eagerly witness zoo animals perform a dazzling floor show. Next morning, they awaken in the zoo as their frantic mother retrieves them, refusing to believe their amazing tale. Initially, the spare text focuses on Max and Mia, who “trundle like elephants,” “cling like monkeys,” “nibble like lemurs,” and hide “like scaredy meerkats.” As the midnight revels commence, the text segues into alliterative rhyme with “flouncing flamingos,” “mischievous monkeys,” “laughing lemurs,” “pandas who prance,” and “kingly cats.” Colorful, precise, and whimsical digitally colored pencil illustrations abound with delightful comic details. Hilarious in their animal headgear, Max and Mia stand out in close-up cameos as well as busy double-page spreads. Festooned with feathers, jewels, and flowers, the previously hidden animals treat Max and Mia (and readers) to a visually extravagant, spectacular celebration.
An exuberant, surprising, and unforgettable trip to the zoo.
(Picture book. 3-7)