Dear Zoo Touch and Feel

Dear Zoo Touch and Feel by Rod Campbell (Pan Macmillan) HB RRP $14.99 ISBN978152905180 3

Reviewed by Dianne Bates

Best known for his classic lift-the-flap title Dear Zoo, which has sold over eight million copies worldwide, Rod Campbell has now produced a spin-off board book of sixteen pages. 

The cover shows a lion with a fluffy mane which you can touch and feel. Inside, you can pat the frog’s sticky feet, feel the snake’s bumpy basket, and stroke the camel’s rough coat. When it comes to the lion, there’s a mouth hole which a small child might – or might not – stick a finger into.

The story starts with a child being sent a pet. At first, it’s an elephant with a hairy ear. However, the child says, ‘He (was) is too big!’ so he sends him back. Next, he’s sent a giraffe (too tall, of course). A series of animals follows, all of which are rejected, until, finally, he’s sent an animal which is ‘perfect!’ and which the child keeps.

There’s no doubt that a small child from two years old and up will want this interactive book read to him over and over again. There is lots of white space around the colourful animals, while the type font is large. With a different texture for every animal, repetitive text, and colourful artwork throughout, this book is sure to delight both newcomers and fans of the classic story.