Dear Zoo - Rod Campbell

Dear Zoo has been a favourite in this house for a few years now. My son had the classic hardback version of the book, with its simple story and flaps to lift which we always enjoyed reading together. My daughter was given the Dear Zoo Noisy Book last year and this is now a firm favourite for story time. She does tend to go through phases of preferring a certain book and this is one that has been the book of the moment several times now. I am reviewing the classic version of the book here. The Story In case you are unfamiliar with this modern classic for toddlers, Rod Campbell's book tells a ... more

Conor and Kieran are bigger now, and we don't read picture books so much any more. Sigh. Cue nostalgia. I love picture books, I think I'll have to find someone with a toddler that I can steal for an hour or two every once in a while so I've an excuse to keep reading them. Anyway, actually we did read one just last night, one of our favourites. Conor and Kieran should have been sleeping, it was late but it was a rather stuffy night and I could hear whispering from the stairs. "What's the matter? Why aren't you asleep?" "We just wanted to tell you something." I laughed to myself, because I ... more

One of the books I came across as a Nursery Nurse was Dear Zoo by Rod Campbell. All the rooms in the nursery used to fight over the book as the children loved it to be read at story time. The book is about someone looking for a pet, and starts off with "I wrote to the Zoo to send me a pet." Then you go through simple pages with flaps and underneath is an animal but there is always a reason why it is sent back. Until one day the zoo get it right and send out the perfect pet. This book is suitable for any age. It all depends on how you use it. For the babies I would read it on a one to one. I ... more

Given that much of my working life is spent with the under 5's I have read this book more times than most people have had hot dinners, so you may be surprised to hear that I never get tired of it- yep, I'm a 31 year old woman and I am not ashamed to say that this simple book has a firm spot in my top 10 books of all time! What's it about? Our narrator has decided he (I'm saying he because the book is written in teh first person and is written by a man) wants a pet so he writes to the zoo. The zoo then helpfully begins sending him animals but they don't quite get it right so the animals are ... more

Seems though it is nearly christmas I am spending time looking round the house for things to get rid of before the event and create space for the new stuff. One thing the boys won't part with is Dear Zoo. We have owned the book for a while having got a copy through the health visitor and bookstart when one of the boys had a health check. We get so many free books, some are brilliant and some are less good. This is a classic first published in 1982, and it is a goodie. We have owned 2 versions of the board book. One was an anniversary copy, and for some reason the pictures were all the same ... more