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ANIMAL STRIKE AT THE ZOO. IT’S TRUE!

Name: ANIMAL STRIKE AT THE ZOO. IT’S TRUE!
Author: Karma Wilson
ISBN: 0-06-057502-6

by Karma Wilson & illustrated by Margaret Spengler ‧ RELEASE DATE: June 1, 2006

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Sunny scenes featuring dot-eyed, shiny-surfaced zoo animals give this otherwise ill-conceived outing visual polish, at least. In a plot that will warm the cockles of anti-unionist hearts, the animals declare a strike—“ ‘We’re paid only peanuts!’ the elephants shout. / ‘And goodness, we’re bigger than that.’ / So now they won’t trumpet or lumber about. / They sit in the shade, looking fat.” A weeping child shames them into going back to work, whereupon they realize that “they actually like what they do.” Intentionally or not, an even clearer message emerges as the zookeeper, supposedly “doing the best that he can,” offers the elephants pecans and a shorter work day, but those ungrateful monkeys complain that the water in their small new kiddy pool is cold, and the zebras stubbornly reject the proffered oats, demanding the right to choose their own feed. Young readers will not only stumble over the text’s markedly irregular metrics, they are also likely to wonder how animals on strike are different from those on the job, as standing or sitting idly about is what real zoo residents usually do anyway. (Picture book. 7-9)

Pub Date: June 1, 2006

ISBN: 0-06-057502-6

Page Count: 32

Publisher: HarperCollins

Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010

Kirkus Reviews Issue: May 1, 2006

Categories:

CHILDREN'S ANIMALS

- BOOK REVIEW
BEAR FEELS SAD
by Karma Wilson ; illustrated by Jane Chapman

- BOOK REVIEW
BEAR FINDS EGGS
by Karma Wilson ; illustrated by Jane Chapman

- BOOK REVIEW
I LOVE YOUR FACE!
by Karma Wilson ; illustrated by AG Ford

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QUACK AND COUNT

by Keith Baker & illustrated by Keith Baker ‧ RELEASE DATE: Aug. 1, 1999

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Baker (Big Fat Hen, 1994, etc.) engages in more number play, posing ducklings in every combination of groups, e.g., “Splashing as they leap and dive/7 ducklings, 2 plus 5.” Using a great array of streaked and dappled papers, Baker creates a series of leafy collage scenes for the noisy, exuberant ducklings to fill, tucking in an occasional ladybug or other small creature for sharp-eyed pre-readers to spot. Children will regretfully wave goodbye as the ducks fly off in neat formation at the end of this brief, painless introduction to several basic math concepts. (Picture book. 4-6)

Pub Date: Aug. 1, 1999

ISBN: 0-15-292858-8

Page Count: 24

Publisher: Harcourt

Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 1, 1999

Categories:

CHILDREN'S ANIMALS | CHILDREN'S CONCEPTS

- BOOK REVIEW
HAP-PEA HALLOWEEN
by Keith Baker ; illustrated by Keith Baker

- BOOK REVIEW
HAP-PEA EASTER
by Keith Baker ; illustrated by Keith Baker

- BOOK REVIEW
HAP-PEA VALENTINE'S DAY
by Keith Baker ; illustrated by Keith Baker

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THE SERPENT CAME TO GLOUCESTER

by M.T. Anderson & illustrated by Bagram Ibatoulline ‧ RELEASE DATE: June 1, 2005

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To commemorate well-documented old sightings of huge sea serpents gamboling off the New England coast, Ibatoulline paints richly detailed scenes of wide seas and narrow shores, of small boats, monstrous writhing coils and astonished onlookers—to which Anderson pairs an old man’s reminiscence in verse: “The serpent was twirling, just chasing its tail, / And showed all intention of staying. / ‘Is it back in the deep?’ ‘Is it eating our sheep?’ / ‘I think,’ I said, ‘that the serpent is playing.’ ” Young monster lovers will share the wonder of this never-solved mystery, and applaud when a company of sea-hunter’s strenuous efforts to kill the monster yield only a large mackerel. A 19th-century tale presented in grand, 19th-century style. (afterword) (Picture book. 7-9)