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8th out of 108 books
—
125 voters
Dear Zoo: A Lift-the-Flap Book
by
Rod Campbell
Dear Zoo is twenty-five years old -- and still as popular as ever!
And with an updated look, this children's classic is sure to delight a new generation of readers!
And with an updated look, this children's classic is sure to delight a new generation of readers!
Board Book, 18 pages
Published
May 8th 2007
by Little Simon
(first published January 1st 1982)
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I've got a sticker on the back of my car that says "Dogs are for life, not just for Christmas" (What?!?! Ok, I'm one of those smug animal loving divvies who have naff, self righteous car stickers. And I couldn't say no to the animal charity where I got my dog from, when they asked me to stick it on my rear screen window.).
Whatever! Is it a bit hypocritical of me to be endorsing this book, based on my ethical beliefs that animals are not toys to be swapped, sold on, imprisoned or treated as inani...more
Whatever! Is it a bit hypocritical of me to be endorsing this book, based on my ethical beliefs that animals are not toys to be swapped, sold on, imprisoned or treated as inani...more
I borrowed the words from this book and set the book aside for parents to look at and/or check out. Its much more fun when you're "reading" this with babies and toddlers and using something fun, furry and soft.
When I "read" it, I had a box marked "From the Zoo" (as if the kids could read it) and I would just say the same line over and over again:
"I wrote to the zoo to send me a pet..." (That's a direct quote from the book) and then I'd pull out a different puppet from the box and bring it to lif...more
When I "read" it, I had a box marked "From the Zoo" (as if the kids could read it) and I would just say the same line over and over again:
"I wrote to the zoo to send me a pet..." (That's a direct quote from the book) and then I'd pull out a different puppet from the box and bring it to lif...more
Book Review 3
Rod Campbell
Dear Zoo
This story is a fun introduction to animals and their characteristics. It is written in the first person, with repetitive sentences. The nature of repetitiveness enables young readers to predict and engage with the story.
The story is written as a letter to a zoo asking them to send a pet to the reader. Each page has a flap which carefully hides the animal sent from the zoo and a written clue for example, ‘heavy’ or ‘danger’ on the animal’s container. At the end...more
Rod Campbell
Dear Zoo
This story is a fun introduction to animals and their characteristics. It is written in the first person, with repetitive sentences. The nature of repetitiveness enables young readers to predict and engage with the story.
The story is written as a letter to a zoo asking them to send a pet to the reader. Each page has a flap which carefully hides the animal sent from the zoo and a written clue for example, ‘heavy’ or ‘danger’ on the animal’s container. At the end...more
In the book ‘Dear Zoo’, a child writes to the zoo requesting a pet. The Zoo kindly obliges and sends the child a pet. However… what they send is not suitable. Each animal is unsuitable for a specific reason, for example, the elephant is too big and the frog is too jumpy. Each animal the zoo sends to the child has to be sent back.
There is a real comic sense to the story and the author creates suspense by having the animal hidden under the flap, which raises the anticipation and excitement of the...more
There is a real comic sense to the story and the author creates suspense by having the animal hidden under the flap, which raises the anticipation and excitement of the...more
'Dear Zoo' by Rod Campbell is a very simple story for young children that tells the story of a zoo delivering all sorts of unusual and inappropriate animals to a customer as a pet. The story is written in the first person, so any child reading the story would at once feel part of the action, the reader is never actually told who is receiving the pets. 'Dear Zoo' is also a lift the flap book, which makes it more interactive and kinaesthetic for children, it also encourages them to use their imagi...more
Dear Zoo is a fun and interactive lift-the-flap book, based on a letter to the zoo for a pet. Underneath the flaps different zoo animals can be found, including: an elephant, a tiger, a snake and a monkey. All of these animals are deemed unsuitable pets and sent back to the zoo for being "too fierce", "too large", "too scary" or "too naughty". However, in the end the perfect pet is found.
After rediscovering this book today, I found it nostalgic, remembering the fun I had as a kid guessing which...more
After rediscovering this book today, I found it nostalgic, remembering the fun I had as a kid guessing which...more
The book ‘Dear Zoo’ by Rod Campbell was a favourite amongst the children at my nursery. It’s a story about a child who writes to the zoo asking for a pet, and receives a number of unsuitable animals from them. The children at my nursery really loved the interactive ‘lift the flap’ element and would ask for this book to be read to them again and again. After memorising the entire story they would then be reading it back to me!
It was a great way to build children’s knowledge and understanding of...more
It was a great way to build children’s knowledge and understanding of...more
Aside from "Brown Bear, Brown Bear", this is another fantastic storytime book that one can incorporate American Sign Language. Another aspect of this book that I really like is that it is a flap-book so it has that element of surprise. A story teller can certainly work that to his/her advantage while telling the story; you can create a "build up" of excitement in your little one until the end as the ending is nothing extraordinary. BUT if you read this story with a little bit of animation (tone,...more
This is a fun and interactive book, children will enjoy lifting the flaps. It describes they animals and explains why they would not be a suitable pet. This teaches children about the difference between wild animals and pets.
Children can guess what animals they think will be behind the flap and explain why, which encourages verbal reasoning. The book provides ample opportunity for discussion the children can talk about what animal they would like as a pet. The children will be asked to explain...more
Children can guess what animals they think will be behind the flap and explain why, which encourages verbal reasoning. The book provides ample opportunity for discussion the children can talk about what animal they would like as a pet. The children will be asked to explain...more
Dear Zoo is a book I remember being read and re-read by my younge sister when she was a baby. It is a lift-the-flap-book which always captures the attention of the young reader. It is another book i found in my SEA book corner and a favourite with the class. I read a lot of books with a child in the class who was a selective mute but it was this book that always made her come to life. Although she did not speak to me, she would make the animal noises for me so I would turn the page and keep read...more
This is an excellent reading book for reception class. It is about a boy who writes to the zoo for a pet and the zoo sends him a number of pets which he sends back for a number of reasons eg.” The Giraffe is too tall”. The good thing about the book is that it is a lift the flap book so the animals are covered. It would be useful for introducing a lesson about different animals eg. Read that page and get the children what animal at the zoo would be too tall? There are a lot of uses for this book...more
Dear Zoo - Rod Campbell
Celebrating it's thirtieth year in publication Dear Zoo is still as enjoyable today as it was in 1982. Dear Zoo is a short tale of a child that writes to a Zoo asking for a pet. One by one the Zoo sends seven animals, all of which are unsuitable, and have to be sent back. Finally the Zoo sends a puppy which is perfect and the person keeps the puppy.
The text is very simple and easy to follow. The bulk of the narrative is repeated on each double page, only the animal and th...more
Celebrating it's thirtieth year in publication Dear Zoo is still as enjoyable today as it was in 1982. Dear Zoo is a short tale of a child that writes to a Zoo asking for a pet. One by one the Zoo sends seven animals, all of which are unsuitable, and have to be sent back. Finally the Zoo sends a puppy which is perfect and the person keeps the puppy.
The text is very simple and easy to follow. The bulk of the narrative is repeated on each double page, only the animal and th...more
‘Dear Zoo’ is written in the first person. The book is about an unnamed narrator, this allows children to take that role and be part of the action immediately. The child writes to the zoo asking for a pet. Campbell invites the reader to predict animals under each flap. The Zoo sends him undesirable pets, that is, a big elephant, a tall giraffe, a fierce lion, a grumpy camel, a scary snake, a naughty monkey and a jumpy frog. The child is surprised by the different pets and sends them back, all ex...more
A very interesting book for early readers. A child writing to the Zoo for a pet and receives many different animals from the Zoo, however the the animal is sent back because of a number of reasons, which is described very clearly and relates to the animals character and features. E.g the Elephant was too big and the Lion was too fierce. The reason why I enjoyed this book when I was small is due to the illustration that is used and the excitement of what is behind the flaps, which created curiosi...more
Aug 20, 2012
Natalie Mikkides
added it
'Dear Zoo' is one of my childhood favorites and is still very popular today. This animal based storybook is aimed for Early Years children because of the simple, short and repetitive sentences and the colourful 'lift-the-flaps' on every page.
The story is about, what many believe, a child who is writing to the the zoo for a pet. All of the animals that are sent are unacceptable because of many issues including size and personality traits. For example, the lion is sent back because he is 'fierce'....more
The story is about, what many believe, a child who is writing to the the zoo for a pet. All of the animals that are sent are unacceptable because of many issues including size and personality traits. For example, the lion is sent back because he is 'fierce'....more
Dear Zoo is an entertaining children’s book of the zoo sending a pet to a young boy. The zoo sends many pets which all have different qualities, which are just not right for the child. The fact that the book has big images and flaps for the children to pull down makes it quite an interactive book. Each flap has a clue to what the animal could be inside the flap which also allows for the excitement of guessing the animal. It has a repetitive structure which encourages young readers to join it. I...more
Dear Zoo by Rod Campbell is a story of the zoo sending various animals to a child. The zoo sends many animals which all have different characteristics but each time the child finds something wrong with each animal. The book has flaps, which allow the children to be interactive with the book. It has a repetitive structure, which helps the young readers to recognize words that they will often use. While on placement I used this book with my year 1 class to help them start writing sentences. The re...more
I think this book is suitable for children in the early years foundation stage. It invites children to think about the different features of different animals, and to think about the types of animals that are suitable to live in our houses with us as humans. Also allows children to think about what characteristics they would like their pets to have, and gets children to start using connectives such as because, and discribing words. The book is a pop up book and allows children to bend back the c...more
Sep 16, 2011
Allison W.
rated it
4 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Recommends it for:
Toddlers & Up
Recommended to Allison W. by:
1001 CBYMRBYGU
Shelves:
1001-cbymrbygu
It's a Lift-the-flap book and I LOVE lift-the-flap books! I really feel that they make books really adventurous for children and help cement the wonder and appreciation of books in their minds. The story is very humorously written so that children will comprehend the absurdity of having a giraffe as a pet (for example). The illustrations are bright and colorful but also simple. The flaps provide an opportunity for children to make educated guesses as to which animal is in the box from visual and...more
'Dear Zoo' by Rod Campbell is one of my favourite childrens books. The books allows the children to recognise different animals in an exciting way. The anticipation of lifting the flap makes the book both exciting and engaging. The writer describes the animals that the Zoo has sent him. He ends up sending each one of the animals back to the Zoo because of a characteristic he does not like, which is associated with that specific animal. This makes the story humorous yet educational.
The Zoo does...more
The Zoo does...more
Described as a lift-the-flap book, this board book is about an unnamed narrator who writes to the zoo asking for a pet. Unfortunately, the zoo is a little confused and they keep sending pets that just won’t do. Each animal is delivered in a crate or a basket and you have to lift the flap to see what’s inside. After sending back lots of potential pets (the elephant was too big, the giraffe too tall, the frog too jumpy), the zoo finally sends the perfect pet, a dog.
Full Review at Picture-Book-a-D...more
Full Review at Picture-Book-a-D...more
I remember reading this book as child and still love it. The 'lift the flaps' make the book interactive which is a great way of getting young children interested in the book. Children in the early years would be interested in what's behind the flaps. This book is also a great way to get children talking about the different characteristics of animals in simple terms. Children can be asked to describe what they can see in the pictures. Furthermore this book is available as dual language books whic...more
Dear Zoo: A Lift-the-Flap Book by Rod Campbell
"Dear Zoo" long has been a lap-time favorite. The story starts with a letter to the zoo requesting a pet. But as the colorful flaps reveal, most of the animals are inappropriate--until the perfect one arrives. (Goodreads Summary)
This classic lift the flap book is perfect for storytimes or one on one reading. The repetition is great for children and helps them learn the pattern of this predictable book. Good for early independent readers. Bright illu...more
"Dear Zoo" long has been a lap-time favorite. The story starts with a letter to the zoo requesting a pet. But as the colorful flaps reveal, most of the animals are inappropriate--until the perfect one arrives. (Goodreads Summary)
This classic lift the flap book is perfect for storytimes or one on one reading. The repetition is great for children and helps them learn the pattern of this predictable book. Good for early independent readers. Bright illu...more
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My 2-year-old daughter loves two things - animals and flap-books - so it's really no surprise that she fell in love with this little board book.
The story is repetitive, which can be a little tedious for the reader, but it's also very easy for the listening non-reader to follow along and start "reading" on their own. It's been in my daughter's library for half a year now, but it's still the most requested book at bedtime. And more importantly, it's become her go-to book when she just wants to si...more
The story is repetitive, which can be a little tedious for the reader, but it's also very easy for the listening non-reader to follow along and start "reading" on their own. It's been in my daughter's library for half a year now, but it's still the most requested book at bedtime. And more importantly, it's become her go-to book when she just wants to si...more
The Dear Zoo, a lift-the-flap book designed for children 12-24 months, provides interactive learning opportunities for children to use their hands to explore and understand concepts such as size and that different animals have different names. The active engagement of the child also supports vocabulary development. The repetitive text in Dear Zoo helps children become familiar with different animals and builds speech and language development by enabling a child to learn a new word or phrase thro...more
Oct 31, 2012
Comfort Olajide
rated it
4 of 5 stars
Recommends it for:
2 to 4 years olf to read
Recommended to Comfort by:
Class assigned book
I read this book, Dear Zoo is a 'lift the flap' book about a child who sends a letter to the zoo asking the zoo to send a pet. Various letters are sent, 'pets' arrive and are then sent back as unsuitable for a variety of reasons, e.g.the elephant is too big, the lion too fierce, the giraffe too tall, the monkey too naughty, the snake too scary. Each animal is returned to the zoo until finally the zoo sends the perfect pet (a dog).
The text is simple, direct and rythmical with a lot of repetition...more
The text is simple, direct and rythmical with a lot of repetition...more
One of my favourite childhood stories! Dear Zoo is a wonderful childrens book that uses flaps to hide different animals in the zoo. This makes the book exciting as you want to discover which animal is under the flap on each page. Its a great introduction to animals and the pictures are bright & colourful! The authour describes how different animals would not make suitable pets for humans and at the end of the book shows how a dog is the right pet to choose. A fun and enjoyable read to share...more
Dear Zoo by Rod Campbell
Dear Zoo is an entertaining story of the zoo sending a pet. The zoo sends many pets which all have different qualities, which are not right for the child. It had flaps which allow the children to be interactive with the book. In places it is very stereotypical about the animals making some of them ‘scary’. It has a repetitive structure which would encourage young readers to join in with. I feel this book is aimed at EFST and would be enjoyed being read aloud.
Dear Zoo is an entertaining story of the zoo sending a pet. The zoo sends many pets which all have different qualities, which are not right for the child. It had flaps which allow the children to be interactive with the book. In places it is very stereotypical about the animals making some of them ‘scary’. It has a repetitive structure which would encourage young readers to join in with. I feel this book is aimed at EFST and would be enjoyed being read aloud.
Board book with lift the flaps. V liked it, L loves it.
My only quibble is with how the snake is described - I always change it from 'scary' to 'scaly' or another 's' word when reading the book aloud to my little ones. Snakes are beautiful animals, in their own way. I don't want to teach my kids to be scared of them, just to treat them with respect, as they would any other wild animal. After all, even squirrels, while cute and fluffy, can carry rabies and have some serious teeth for biting.
My only quibble is with how the snake is described - I always change it from 'scary' to 'scaly' or another 's' word when reading the book aloud to my little ones. Snakes are beautiful animals, in their own way. I don't want to teach my kids to be scared of them, just to treat them with respect, as they would any other wild animal. After all, even squirrels, while cute and fluffy, can carry rabies and have some serious teeth for biting.
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Oct 10, 2012 01:00pm