At the Zoo I See

At the Zoo I See by Joshua Button, illustrated by Robyn Wells (Magabala Books) HB RRP $9.99   ISBN 9781925360455

Reviewed by Brook Tayla

I have a newly acquired attraction to board books.  From a literary viewpoint I have seen them evolve and become much more focused on the importance of both visual and written language and At the Zoo I See by Joshua Button and Robyn Wells displays this.

In this book we are introduced to nine animals that could be seen at the zoo – a mix of native and exotic animals; a macaw, a quoll, a jaguar, an anteater, a wombat, an elephant, a lion, a gorilla and a cassowary.

What makes this book work is the combination of the adjectives used for each animal and the expressive illustrations -- they just made me smile and enjoy this book so much more. Written text is extremely important because it introduces children to infrequently used words and word combinations and the visual text confirms this and gives a secondary view of the meaning – Joshua and Robyn have synergized this well.

And all this is contained within a few pages of a board book suitable for children from newborns up to kindergarten age.  

Brook Tayla writes a blog called telltalestome@wordpress.com and would love you to drop by, read some reviews, leave a comment and follow by email so you get to receive all the latest reviews.