What Not to do at the Zoo

By Go Be Silly
Price $16.95
Age 0-10 yrs.

Clever simplicity of the sort that speaks to a young child's imagination is hard to come by, even more so when it tickles a child's funny bone. That's why really good children's books are rare, and why What Not to do at the Zoo is so refreshing. The title alone arouses curiosity, and each 2-page illustration and accompanying line of text delivers humorous guidance on exactly what to avoid doing while at the zoo. 'Do not tell a hyena knock-knock jokes,' says one page, as we see a hyena at a microphone, his companions rolling around in laughter while humans look on. 'Do not share your homework with a warthog,' says another, while a bespectacled warthog pores studiously over a math book, an abacus and blackboard at hand amidst the grass and foliage. There are over a dozen such 'Do nots,' each accompanied by a sprawling illustration filled with humorous detail. That intentional, gentle repetitiveness, coupled with the sheer silliness of the suggestions, is utterly captivating to young ones. They'll want you to read it to them, or will read it to themselves, over and over again.