NOODLE LOVES THE ZOO

Noodle the panda takes an excursion to the zoo with his dad.

As with other titles in the series, tactile elements are embedded into each double-page spread. A zebra and a bear both sport velvety coats, and a tree has felt leaves that can be pulled down to reveal a couple of monkeys. On the giraffe spread, the touch-and-feel element is a corrugated door to the giraffe house, and action-oriented youngsters may be disappointed it does not open. As in the other Noodle books, the final gimmick is a Mylar mirror that allows readers to put themselves in the story and here acts as a pond for the lions. The simple rhyming text follows the same pattern as other Noodle stories but does not scan quite as well.

Older readers may find it odd that these pandas are visitors to a zoo rather than residents, but young Noodle fans will be happy to see their hero in a new locale