Dear Zoo
A teacher’s look at why this book belongs in the Page Grabbers stage.
Why it fits Page Grabbers (for young toddlers who treat books as things to do)
The zoo keeps sending the wrong pet, hidden behind flaps. Toddlers learn the flaps by heart and still gasp at the snake. The final puppy is the most satisfying package in children's literature.
What makes it special
Campbell's flap-letter premise — the zoo keeps mailing the wrong pet — is a perfect story engine in eight spreads. The crates and cages themselves are the illustrations, making each flap a genuine parcel to open. Forty years of toddlers have memorized it, and the anticipation still beats any loading screen.
From the publisher
Each animal arriving from the zoo as a possible pet fails to suit its prospective owner, until just the right one is found. Movable flaps reveal the contents of each…
About Rod Campbell
Rod Campbell is the Scottish creator of Dear Zoo, the lift-the-flap classic that has never left print since 1982. His specialty is the toddler-sized narrative: setup, flaps, payoff, all in under a minute.
Campbell trained as a scientist — he holds a doctorate in organic chemistry — before drifting into children's books, where he applied a scientist's economy to the question of exactly how little a story needs.
Also by this author: Oh Dear! · Farm Animals · It's Mine
More from “Books That Do Things”
This book is part of The Best Books for Toddlers: 30 Teacher Picks (Page Grabbers) in our guide The Best Children’s Books by Age — 120 books chosen by the Montessori-certified teachers at Creative Minds Montessori in Frisco, TX. Come see how we build readers →
Nobody paid for this review — not the author, not the publisher — and the store link above earns us nothing. Our only interest is the reader this book fits.