Midnight at the Zoo

Midnight at the Zoo

By Author / Illustrator

Faye Hanson, Faye Hanson

Genre

Adventure

Age range(s)

5+

Publisher

Templar Publishing

ISBN

9781783703289

Format

Paperback / softback

Reviews

Fiona

The story of Midnight at the Zoo begins as the young reader opens the book to be confronted with lovely end papers that show a map of a zoo. The map is beautifully illustrated and shows where each of the animals of the zoo reside. Max and Mia are going to the zoo with their class and they are very excited about this. We travel with them on their initial journey to reach the school bus and this is described through similes comparing their journey to the animals that they are hoping to see. So they 'Trundle like elephants', 'nibble like lemurs' and 'hide at the back like scaredy meerkats'. In the zoo the quirky, cartoon like illustrations show the class eagerly looking for the animals but with no success. The animals are all hiding and, although the children can't see them, we the readers can, which makes this book fun. At the end of the day the class leave disappointed all except Max and Mia who are accidently left behind. As the zoo closes, with the help of an animal guide, the pair get to see all the animals and enjoy themselves immensely. Finally they fall asleep with a small pride of lions and are found the next day. This is an amusing fantasy story which many KS1 pupils will enjoy reading. The language throughout is poetic and utilizes of both similes and alliteration effectively. Picture book / Ages 4+ / Reviewed by Fiona Collins, consultant.

Suggested Reading Age 5+

 

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