Dear Zoo: Celebrating 40 Years

Dear Zoo: Celebrating 40 Years by Rod Campbell (Pan Macmillan) HB RRP $14.99 ISBN 9781529074932

Reviewed by Dianne Bates

Forty years after it was first published, Dear Zoo is still going strong. This small board book for infants features lift-the-flaps. It starts with the words, ‘I wrote to the zoo to send me a pet. They sent me an…’ and on the opposite page is a picture of a wooden crate labelled ‘From the Zoo’ and with the word ‘too heavy.’ The small reader is invited to open the crate to discover… an elephant. (‘He was too big! I sent him back.’)

Each double-page spread then tells of another animal sent to the reader. The next page, the animal is too tall, followed by an animal ‘too fierce’. And so, it goes on until the final lift-the-flap where there is an animal which is ‘perfect.’

The repetition of words on each page allows for a rhythmic pace and there’s no doubt a small child would love opening the various containers. The illustrations, in bright colours, allow lots of white space around them.

This is a book which is sure to be read to a small child again and again, and which is sure to delight them.

Rod Campbell, the creator of preschool favourites including Oh Dear! and Noisy Farm, has been a trusted name in early learning for over forty years. A perennial classic, Dear Zoo has been a firm favourite with toddlers and parents alike since its first publication in 1982.

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.

Fluffy Chick

Fluffy Chick  by Rod Campbell (Pan Macmillan Australia)  PB RRP $14.99  ISBN 978-1-5098-3435-8

Reviewed by Bev Murrill

A beautiful little book for pre-readers and toddlers, this delightful little story of Fluffy Chick, who lives on a farm, is typical of the genre in this series.

Each page is full of brightly coloured pictured and one character on the page has an aspect of its body that can be stroked, touched, and rubbed, to give a sense of what that animal’s skin or fur may feel like.

Little ones always love this kind of book, replete as it is with early learning opportunities to find out more about the world around them. Mums and Dads too find this an easy read with lots of laughter and encouragement to make the noises these animals would make.

This book is a must for any family with littlies who want to explore their world.