Classic Monday: Dear Zoo

Here's a super cute book that kids adore: Dear Zoo, by Rod Campbell, is a lift-the-flap book about a child who writes to the zoo asking them to send a pet. The zoo sends an elephant, but "He was too big. I sent him back." Next comes a lion, but "He was too fierce. I sent him back." Later comes a camel, unfortunately "He was too grumpy. I sent him back."and so on.

The text is spare, the pictures are simple, and the flaps are medium-sized for smaller hands. Kids memorize this one quickly and take great delight in finishing the sentences. It's appropriate for babies right through the toddler years and makes a great baby shower gift for parents-to-be.

Classic Monday -- Tuesday Edition: Good Night Gorilla

I'm telling you, Bookivore can. not. catch. a. break. We had another snow day yesterday, though this one was an early dismissal because of a completely unexpected blizzard. A BLIZZARD. How do you miss that, Mr. Weatherman? So I had a house full of kids, some mine, some who just wandered in from the bus stop, and once again got nothing done.

I'm moving to San Diego. I hear it's nice there. No blizzards.



Good Night Gorilla, by Peggy Rathman, has been around since the early 1990s and it has become a staple of the under-2 bookshelf. You can even still pick it up at Target, which is as big an indicator of its classic status as anything I can think of.


The story is one with only minimal words. The zookeeper is locking up the zoo for the night, and telling each animal "Good night," as he goes about his duties. The little gorilla, however, has taken his keys and is busily unlocking all the cages.

Eventually, the zookeeper arrives home with a parade of animals in tow. Everyone snuggles down in the zookeeper's bedroom, but once the lights are off Mrs. Zookeeper discovers the stowaways and firmly marches them all back to the zoo where they belong. All except the little gorilla, who slips back into the zookeeper's bedroom and falls asleep between the zookeeper and his wife.


It's a charming little book, beautifully illustrated with Rathman's brilliant paintings. If you're familiar with Rathman (Ruby the Copycat, 10 Minutes 'til Bedtime, Officer Buckle and Gloria) you'll know that her pictures always have more to them than meets the eye: in this book, children can spot the pink balloon that floats away on the first page. It reappears in subsequent pages. Also, on the last page a "family" portrait with Mr. and Mrs. Zookeeper and the little gorilla is finally completely revealed. He is obviously their spoiled darling.

This is an excellent book for pointing out what's happening in the pictures when your child is small and then later having your older child tell back to you what's going on in the story. It comes in a sturdy board book edition and also a larger "lap" edition. Along with other classics like Goodnight Moon or Time for Bed, it makes a great baby gift for new parents.

Pictures courtesy of Amazon.com and BarnesandNoble.com

Karen Katz

Anyone with children knows that kids love lift-the-flap books. Unfortunately, most lift-the-flap books don't long survive the loving attention of most kids. I have a couple of large Sesame Street/Elmo books that bear mute (and torn) witness to this fact. That's why Karen Katz's books are such a welcome addition to the family library.

I discovered Karen Katz when my oldest was just a baby and immediately fell in love with her bright, sunny pictures and the gloriously large flaps on her lift-the-flap books. Where is Baby's Belly Button became an instant favorite at our house, one that our eldest daughter would drag around and offer to anyone sitting down -- "Read? Read?" She still asked for it long after she was technically too old for the simple text.

Many of her books are truly suitable for babies -- great choices for 6-18 month olds. The pictures are colorful enough to capture their attention, the flaps are ample enough for those little hands to lift easily, and the text is usually concerned with the sorts of things babies love -- peekaboo, lost objects that need finding, what babies say, etc. And they are well-made; Where is Baby's Belly Button survived all three of my children and lives to be read another day.


These two shots show just how generous the flaps are --all of my children loved lifting these big flaps to see what was underneath. When my oldest was a baby there weren't many books like this available. Now, of course, there are many more, including a nice line of books from DK (Dorling Kindersley), but I think Katz's books blazed the trail in this area.

Another nice feature is the multi-ethnic character of her work. Most of her books include children of many races, which is something I look for in children's books, particularly in picture books. It is my entirely unscientific opinion that the more "ethnic" faces children are exposed to as babies and toddlers, and the more they are taught that these faces are "pretty," "beautiful," "nice," whatever positive descriptor fits, the better off they will be when they encounter children or adults of other races in real life. Such faces are are normal to them. Or so I think.

Mostly Katz is the writer/illustrator of these books, though in a few cases she illustrates someone else's text. Toes, Ears, & Nose! is one such book, great for toddlers, which is a fun look at clothes and the body parts they cover.

Katz' collection of works has expanded to include books which are not lift-the-flap, but these often have an interactive dimension to them, like Counting Kisses, in which all the members of the family (including Grandma and the dog and cat) are giving a series of kisses to the cranky baby just before bedtime. We used to read this one to our kids, kissing the appropriate body part (tiny toes, chubby yummy knees, etc.) as we read.

She also has a line of books for toddlers/preschoolers dealing with manners (No Hitting!; No Biting!; I Can Share; Excuse Me!) and of course, the obligatory potty training book. These are all in lift-the-flap format.

If you've got an infant or toddler and have never tried Karen Katz's books before, they are highly recommended. They are often (almost always) available at TJ Maxx and Marshalls for a discount, though you won't get the range of selections available at a bookstore. If your kids are past this type of book, they make great shower gifts -- consider tucking one or two in a basket with some onesies and baby socks for a quick, cute, li'l bit different baby gift. Sturdy, bright and appealing, they will absolutely entertain little ones and provide a great incentive to reading.

all pictures courtesy of BarnesandNoble.com

Beautiful Brown Eyes

Marianne Richmond's Beautiful Brown Eyes is a sweet little book about all the things we see when we look at our children's eyes. In a realistic dialogue between a mother and child, it reaffirms the connection parents have with their little ones, the way we learn to "read" them, their moods and expressions, the way we stalk them with our cameras trying to capture those little faces.

All the eyes in the book are brown and Richmond's artwork, a mixture of paint and collage, is reminiscent of Karen Katz, but softer and more textured. The colors are earthy, muted and homey -- a nice match to the text. If you don't have a brown-eyed child, don't worry: according to Richmond's blog, there will eventually be a Beautiful Blue Eyes as well. This is a nice little bedtime or naptime book, probably for one-, two- or three-year olds.