What do you think?
Rate this book
It's True!
Animal Strike at the Zoo. It's True!
There's an animal strike at the zoo! oh no, oh my! What's a zookeeper to do when the lions and tigers and bears refuse to roar and prowl and growl? And when little Sue, who has been waiting all year for this trip to the zoo, enters the gate, will the animals decide to give their strike a break? Karma Wilson's fun, playful text paired with Margaret Spengler's bright and lively pastels create an unforgettable, irresistible zoo of chaos and fun!
32 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 2006
About the author
Karma Wilson
113 books532 followersKarma Wilson grew up an only child of a single mother in the wilds of North Idaho. Way back then (just past the stone age and somewhat before the era of computers) there was no cable TV and if there had been Karma could not have recieved it. TV reception was limited to 3 channels, of which one came in with some clarity. Karma did the only sensible thing a lonely little girl could do…she read or played outdoors.
Playing outdoors was fun, but reading was Karma’s “first love” and, by the age 11, she was devouring about a novel a day. She was even known to try to read while riding her bike down dirt roads, which she does not recommend as it is hazardous to the general well being of the bike, the rider, and more importantly the book. Her reading preferences were fantasy (C.S. Lewis, Terry Brooks, etc…) and historical fiction (L.M. Montgomery, Laura Ingalls Wilder, etc…). Those tastes have not changed much.
Karma never considered writing as a profession because her mother was a professional writer which made it seem like mundane work. At the age of 27 she realized that she still loved well-written children’s books of all kinds, from picture books to young adult novels. By that time Karma was a wife and the mother of three young children. Trips to the library with her kids were a combination of emotions…a good book meant fun for all! But so many of the books weren’t what her children wanted to listen to.
Then a tax refund changed everything. With the money the family decided to invest in a computer. Karma was forced to learn to type. Combining her desire to make the expensive computer pay for itself, her new-found typing skill, and her love of children’s literature, Karma started writing for children. She wanted to put a few more good books on the library shelves and pay off that computer! Countless rejections and three years later Karma was finally accepted by book agent Steven Malk (who had already rejected her once, which she never lets him forget). Her first book, Bear Snores On, was released in 2002. The computer was paid for!
Since then Karma has had more than 30 books accepted for publication. Many of those are on the shelves of libraries and bookstores around the world. Her books have received numerous state and national awards, been translated into dozens of languages, and a few have made an appearance on the New York Times bestseller list. Karma sincerely hopes that her books bring joy to children and families everywhere.
Karma writes humorous, rhythmic picture books for the very young, and humorous and wistful poetry for the primary grades.
These days Karma lives with her handsome husband Scott, and her three not-so-young-anymore children, two dogs, two chickens and one cat on some modest but lovely acreage in NW Montana. Her hobbies include reading (of course), photography, baking, yoga, and a passion for Mixed Martial Arts.
Playing outdoors was fun, but reading was Karma’s “first love” and, by the age 11, she was devouring about a novel a day. She was even known to try to read while riding her bike down dirt roads, which she does not recommend as it is hazardous to the general well being of the bike, the rider, and more importantly the book. Her reading preferences were fantasy (C.S. Lewis, Terry Brooks, etc…) and historical fiction (L.M. Montgomery, Laura Ingalls Wilder, etc…). Those tastes have not changed much.
Karma never considered writing as a profession because her mother was a professional writer which made it seem like mundane work. At the age of 27 she realized that she still loved well-written children’s books of all kinds, from picture books to young adult novels. By that time Karma was a wife and the mother of three young children. Trips to the library with her kids were a combination of emotions…a good book meant fun for all! But so many of the books weren’t what her children wanted to listen to.
Then a tax refund changed everything. With the money the family decided to invest in a computer. Karma was forced to learn to type. Combining her desire to make the expensive computer pay for itself, her new-found typing skill, and her love of children’s literature, Karma started writing for children. She wanted to put a few more good books on the library shelves and pay off that computer! Countless rejections and three years later Karma was finally accepted by book agent Steven Malk (who had already rejected her once, which she never lets him forget). Her first book, Bear Snores On, was released in 2002. The computer was paid for!
Since then Karma has had more than 30 books accepted for publication. Many of those are on the shelves of libraries and bookstores around the world. Her books have received numerous state and national awards, been translated into dozens of languages, and a few have made an appearance on the New York Times bestseller list. Karma sincerely hopes that her books bring joy to children and families everywhere.
Karma writes humorous, rhythmic picture books for the very young, and humorous and wistful poetry for the primary grades.
These days Karma lives with her handsome husband Scott, and her three not-so-young-anymore children, two dogs, two chickens and one cat on some modest but lovely acreage in NW Montana. Her hobbies include reading (of course), photography, baking, yoga, and a passion for Mixed Martial Arts.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 67 reviews
October 1, 2017
Mass panic, as there is an active strike taking place at the zoo. Animals refuse to be cute or do what they are supposed to. The elephants demand more than peanuts and they zebras are tired of flaunting off their stripes. The zookeeper is in a tizzy and does not know what to do. When young Sue comes to visit the zoo, her emotional outburst might help the animals to see that they have it pretty good after all. Neo laughed about the idea of a strike at the zoo, as the animals seem to be having so much fun. He would like to see them strike, but knows that everyone would go to the circus if they did.
July 13, 2021
Overlooking the poor and contrived rhyme scheme, the message of this book is terrible. It's a perfect example of privilege and selfishness. The animals are depicted as fat, lazy, and greedy for wanting better conditions (being locked in small cages for the amusement of humans isn't exactly humane treatment). But the moment one girl cries because the animals aren't as active or energetic as she wants, the animals decide that they are the ones being selfish and abandon the strike to placate one girl, because apparently the only reason for their existence is to make humans happy. Never mind animals stuck in cages, the real victim is a little girl who doesn't think the lions are roaring enough. Garbage philosophy.
May 31, 2019
What in the world was the lesson here
August 23, 2022
cute book
September 11, 2017
This book was for children ages 2-4. In the book all of the animals go on strike because they do not think that they are being treated fairly. The giraffes start to wear sweaters, the elephants lay around because they want more food, and the monkeys will not jump around because they want a pool. They are all protesting against the zookeeper who keeps trying to please them but it is not enough for the animals. Then one day little Sue, who has been waiting all year for this zoo trip, finally comes to the zoo. When she realizes that none of the animals are doing anything she begins to cry. The animals see her crying and they feel sad so then they start to act normal again and little Sue is so happy and the animals realize they do not need all the extra stuff, they just love what they do....the bears at the circus however are another story. This book is good for children because it teaches them that the grass is not always greener on the other side, and to be appreciative for what they have. It also teaches them compassion. The book also follows a rhyming scheme which will help children to remember the story. The pictures are very self-exclamatory so young children will be able to begin to tell the story without needing to read all of the words they might not know.
February 23, 2017
What a creative new look at the zoo setting. This is a wonderful childrens book and best of all it rhymes! The illustrations are fantastic and the story is cute too. This could easily be used to demonstrate animal sounds and characteristics or even feelings.
February 17, 2017
I really liked this one. The zoo animals were adorable and the rhyming was done well without forcing it.
April 16, 2020
All the animals go on strike at the zoo. The zebras are painting their whole body brown and the giraffes are covering their necks with turtle necks. The rest of the animals are sleeping during the day until one day a little girl named Sue comes to the zoo. Sue visits the zoo with excitement until she sees that they are on strike. Sue begins to cry and which causes the animals to go off of strike. I loved reading this story to my nieces and nephews because it was something different. The ending is cute because the animals realized they make others happy so when Sue cries they decided the strike is over. I loved looking at the illustrations because they are drawn out so cute.
August 29, 2025
Anti-union propaganda???! What???!
It actually was a story of compromise. The zookeeper gave them much of what they asked. And the animals knew when to say enough is enough. Unless you want to teach your child that no zoo is a good zoo-and that is debatable-this particular zoo looked like a lot of fun.
By the last page, empathy, compassion, and cooperation through lyrical prose led to a happy ending and some great lessons.
Ultimately though, the bottom line is that my 4 year old who has a raft of medical issues was in fits of giggles throughout story time. And then wanted to read it again. And again. Why would I ever criticize that?
It actually was a story of compromise. The zookeeper gave them much of what they asked. And the animals knew when to say enough is enough. Unless you want to teach your child that no zoo is a good zoo-and that is debatable-this particular zoo looked like a lot of fun.
By the last page, empathy, compassion, and cooperation through lyrical prose led to a happy ending and some great lessons.
Ultimately though, the bottom line is that my 4 year old who has a raft of medical issues was in fits of giggles throughout story time. And then wanted to read it again. And again. Why would I ever criticize that?
February 18, 2021
Any book that teaches kids about striking is at least 3 stars, but I couldn't go any higher than that. While the book could be used to explain the concept of a strike, it's real essence is just a fun little rhyming story. Except it's not that fun, and the rhymes aren't very good. They're okay.
If you want a better "animal striking" book, I'd recommend Click Clack Moo by Cronin. Would love to see more picture books with this theme though, so I give Wilson credit for highlighting the topic :)
If you want a better "animal striking" book, I'd recommend Click Clack Moo by Cronin. Would love to see more picture books with this theme though, so I give Wilson credit for highlighting the topic :)
August 16, 2024
I am glad that I never read this with my kids. The animals at a zoo are demanding better living conditions (which, realistically , any zoo or captive animal would) but ooooh nooo, the zookeeper is trying his best! And it's just not good enough! Fuck the zookeeper. And then the solution is that the animals end the strike because they see a young girl excited to see them and they have enough empathy to not want to break her heart.
Please do some research on unions and the toxicity of union breaking.
Also if you want a good zoo book give Good Night Gorilla by Peggy Rathmann a read.
Please do some research on unions and the toxicity of union breaking.
Also if you want a good zoo book give Good Night Gorilla by Peggy Rathmann a read.
June 24, 2020
Meh. Not the worst picture book, but not the best either.
It was a fun idea, with the zoo animals striking and negotiating.....
But I didn't care for the rhyming or the illustrations.
The animals (and little Sue) were not cute at all!
And it just wasn't very believable.
.
.
.
.
Perhaps I'm getting a little too old for these kiddy books!?
Nah!
It was a fun idea, with the zoo animals striking and negotiating.....
But I didn't care for the rhyming or the illustrations.
The animals (and little Sue) were not cute at all!
And it just wasn't very believable.
.
.
.
.
Perhaps I'm getting a little too old for these kiddy books!?
Nah!
July 12, 2018
This was a random library pick that is one of my new favorite kids books. It’s fun to read and understand so my kiddos didn’t get bored, the illustrations are cute and the story itself was great. LOVED.
August 6, 2018
This book is so fun to read aloud. The verse flows smoothly throughout the entire book. The pictures are colorful and engaging. The story moves along at an even pace. And the message of contentment is delivered with subtlety and humor.
December 16, 2020
Reread Animal Strike at the Zoo. It's True! to make my my challenge number and also because it is one of my favorite children's book. Magaret Spangler's book and the illustrations by Carla Weise's make the book entertaining, funny and colorful. I write for children and think I have a good grasp of the books that children like. This book by Spangler is a quick read, which can be important, depending on the age of the child. "Animal Strike at the Zoo. It's True!" is a what would happen kind of tale. What would happen if the animals at your local zoo behaved like human workers, and decided to go on strike for better working conditions and money. Spangler is smiling and laughing throughout the book as she tells how the animal stopped doing what animal do. They stopped growling, scowling, prowling, howling and monkeying around, etc. Instead they just lye around waiting on their demands to be met. They win. Hurray!!. But it isn't the winning of the demands that ends the strike, a visitor, a little girl, who comes to see the prowling, scowling, growling, howling and monkeying around, and the no work animals can bear to see her unhappy. Enjoyable is the one word that comes to mind, to describe this book by Margaret Spangler and Carla Weise.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
December 16, 2025
This book is beautifully illustrated. The tale is delightful. I read this to my granddaughter this morning and she loved it. She actually brought it to me to read again this afternoon. Very enjoyable.
October 2, 2018
What a cute picture book! Kid will love the story of the day the animals at the zoo go on strike! The illustrations go along with the story.
November 20, 2018
Super cute!
February 18, 2019
Very cute story. Caring animals and humans.
September 8, 2020
Very cute and perfectly rhymes.
March 19, 2021
A fast paced adventure about all the animals at the zoo being upset and not performing. Can anyone change their mind? Preschool and up
January 8, 2023
A simple, fun read with great illustrations and rhyming!
January 31, 2023
Cute and fun book! I read this aloud to a group of kindergartners 🫶🏽
November 6, 2024
A funny if slightly ramshackle rhyme with annoyingly cartoony pictures.
Read
March 7, 2026Interactive Read Aloud
February 5, 2015
Personal response- I loved the humor in this book. The turtleneck sweaters on the giraffes were hilarious. I enjoyed when the zoo animals went "totally wild" to make little Sue stop crying. I loved the illustrations in this book because the colors were absolutely perfect. I'm not sure what the illustrator used to create the beautiful pictures, but I thought they were really fun and appealing. I tend to favor books that rhyme and this book had a great rhythm. I also liked this book because it reminds me of when I went to the zoo as a child, so that made it special for me.
Purposes:
Read aloud for enrichment
-I would use this story as a read aloud for preschool or kindergarten and maybe 1st grade (the language might not be rich enough for 1st graders though)
- The story is something the kids could relate to because most of them have probably been to the zoo. I think children would laugh through this entire story.
-Could also be used as a writing prompt. You could have the kids write about what they would ask the zookeeper for if they were the animals that went on strike.
-Vocabulary: Good vocabulary that gives an opportunity to talk about what certain words mean, for example you could ask the kids "What do you think it means when they say 'the headlines are telling it all?' What is a headline?" Other vocabulary words are lumber, wallow, peeping, strike.
Read aloud for curricular purposes
-Could be used to talk about rhyming words
-Could be used as a light hearted introduction to a history lesson talk about what a strike is.
-literacy elements: the setting is integral to the story, there is a plot, could have students use the story to practice plot or story sequencing
Purposes:
Read aloud for enrichment
-I would use this story as a read aloud for preschool or kindergarten and maybe 1st grade (the language might not be rich enough for 1st graders though)
- The story is something the kids could relate to because most of them have probably been to the zoo. I think children would laugh through this entire story.
-Could also be used as a writing prompt. You could have the kids write about what they would ask the zookeeper for if they were the animals that went on strike.
-Vocabulary: Good vocabulary that gives an opportunity to talk about what certain words mean, for example you could ask the kids "What do you think it means when they say 'the headlines are telling it all?' What is a headline?" Other vocabulary words are lumber, wallow, peeping, strike.
Read aloud for curricular purposes
-Could be used to talk about rhyming words
-Could be used as a light hearted introduction to a history lesson talk about what a strike is.
-literacy elements: the setting is integral to the story, there is a plot, could have students use the story to practice plot or story sequencing
April 24, 2012
This is one we own and have read many times. The story is cute. The ending was great. The rhyming and flow of the words were great as well.
My problem is that little Sue looks like a grandma....only without all the wrinkles. Little Sue could have looked a bit more childlike.
I do however try to skip the "Egad" word because it feels like taking the Lord's name in vain. I mean, it's a picture book. I found that it was unnecessary and another word could have been used instead. Seeing how I just looked it up and the dictionary says it's also archaic for "A God". Ergo, I will be skipping the word from now on for sure.
My problem is that little Sue looks like a grandma....only without all the wrinkles. Little Sue could have looked a bit more childlike.
I do however try to skip the "Egad" word because it feels like taking the Lord's name in vain. I mean, it's a picture book. I found that it was unnecessary and another word could have been used instead. Seeing how I just looked it up and the dictionary says it's also archaic for "A God". Ergo, I will be skipping the word from now on for sure.
November 7, 2012
This is a really cute book about a girl named Sue who is really excited to go to the zoo but when she gets there it is not what she expected.... All of the animals have gone on strike and are not acting like animals in a zoo should act. This is a great book to use for rhyming because it rhymes throughout the entire thing. This would also be a great book to use when teaching about history and different strikes that have taken place. I might use this to teach about strikes by reading it first and then second, having my students write about something that they are going to go on strike about and how they would go about that strike. The illustrations are really cute as well! :)
April 1, 2014
{my thoughts} – This book was absolutely adorable. I loved the graphics, I loved the cute little story. It was a wonderful book. The graphics match the story nicely, and the story flows even nicer. I happen to be a fan of the zoo, jungle and well animals in general, but I happen to have a soft spot for giraffes. There were giraffes in the book and they looked just wonderful! EEEK!
I think that any child that enjoys animals will enjoy this book. It is a wonderful story, it isn’t to terribly long and most first graders should be able to mostly read it on their own! My youngest brought it home as his home reader and I loved it so much I decided to review it!
I think that any child that enjoys animals will enjoy this book. It is a wonderful story, it isn’t to terribly long and most first graders should be able to mostly read it on their own! My youngest brought it home as his home reader and I loved it so much I decided to review it!
Displaying 1 - 30 of 67 reviews