Library Finds...

Title: I Know a Rhino

Author/Illustrator: Charles Fuge

Reading Level: Ages 2 - 5

Hardcover: 24 Pages

Publisher: Sterling Publishing Co.

Would you like to sip tea with a Rhino or have mud fights with a pig? How about blowing bubbles with a giraffe in a bathtub? I guess that should be heck a lot of fun. Have you heard of the ape who sings pop songs and dances along to a tape? Would like to treat a scaly, bold dragon who has got a bad cold? How about packing some bread and honey for a picnic with a big brown bear? Hop aboard! We are going on a fun-filled adventure with a charming little girl and her stuffed animal friends. The bright, bold illustrations and the simple, engaging story will draw your kids towards this picture book in no time. A real page turner!

Title: Welcome to the Zoo

Author/Illustrator: Alison Jay

Reading Level: Baby - Preschool

Hardcover: 32 Pages

Publisher: Dial Books for Young Readers

Welcome to the Zoo! No Cages. No Locks. The animals here freely roam about and there are lots of them. You'll see bathing hippos, diving dolphins, roaring tigers, sleeping koalas, bouncing kangaroos, swinging monkeys, singing parakeets and much more. Just like the animals, the zookeepers are busy too. You'll find zookeepers taking zebras on a walk, carrying a platter of fish for the penguins, pushing chimpanzee in a cart, bathing hippos, carrying a giant toothbrush for the elephant, chasing an ostrich and feeding monkeys, anteaters and yaks. The readers will find themselves lured by the detailed illustrations they won't actually realize that it is a wordless picture book after all. Its not that big of a deal, because the picture tell stories of their own. My daughter and I have so much fun tracking the zookeeper's activities within the zoo. Does he ever catch the ostrich? Who will be eating the platter of fish? Could that big bunch of bananas be for the monkeys? Who will be drinking from that huge bottle of milk? There is just so much to see and discover in this book. It will take at least a couple of reads to actually see them all. We constantly find amusing little things every time we read it. The "Can you find us?" page at the end offers more exploring opportunities for those curious readers out there. Its unlike any other zoo you've been to. Check it out...