WE'RE GOING TO THE ZOO!

Can Kitty get her big sister, Clara, to stop texting long enough to enjoy the world around her?

Young Kitty wants to have fun during the summer holidays, but overdramatic sister Clara just likes to declare how bored she is and do…nothing. When Dad suggests a trip to the Dublin Zoo, Kitty’s excited, planning to draw all the animals that she sees. Clara agrees to go, albeit with arms crossed and a sour expression on her face. Kitty draws the fruit bats, throwing in some fruit-bat trivia in Q-and-A form. Clara calls her “weird.” Visits to the elephants, giraffes, and red pandas follow. These last appeal to Clara, and she begins taking selfies with them. She’s getting into the spirit a bit. Kitty and Clara next see the tapirs, the tigers, and the sea lions. Kitty draws them all and shares some more fun facts. Kitty studies an unusual monkey called a macaque, and Clara falls in love with the new baby rhino. Both sisters are fascinated by the meerkats, and Clara feels inspired to collaborate with Kitty on her meerkat drawing. At the day’s end, the sisters have a stronger bond. Bowie’s delightfully shaggy illustrations, which look like they were done by Kitty herself, add immense charm to this story of sisterly understanding and animal exploration. They depict Kitty and her family as white.

Delightful and educational.