Product Description

f you shout in the zoo, anything might happen. You might scare a bear, and the apes, and the hippos, and the lions...and then they might break loose and chase after you! In this uproarious cause-and-effect story, one innocent, little shout from a young girl creates chaos among the zoo animals. Lively, detailed illustrations bring the friendly stampede of animals to life and will have readers laughing out loud!

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #77597 in Books
• Published on: 2004-04-14
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Hardcover
• 32 pages

From School Library Journal
PreSchool-Grade 1-In this engaging read-aloud, a little girl stumbles, drops her ice-cream cone, and gives a frustrated cry, despite the narrator's warning to "Never, EVER shout in a zoo-/because if you do-/anything might happen." Before long, the hapless heroine is being pursued by a scary bear, a moose on the loose, escaped apes, and an ever-growing menagerie of other animals. Released from tanks and cages, the creatures exact their revenge and gleefully surround the child, locking her (and some other humans) in a pen. The last page shows the girl, who is now standing next to an exhibit of a frozen dinosaur, stifling another shout. Observers are drawn into events on the first page, where the watercolor-and-pencil illustrations simply but effectively introduce the locale and then quickly propel the action forward. Presented against broad white backgrounds, the expressive animals project a benign ferocity tempered by baffled amusement. The bouncy text makes use of alliteration, repetition, and rhyming phrases as the narrator speaks directly to the bumptious child ("Uh-oh! Don't say I didn't warn you"). This lighthearted romp disguises a slightly scary concept, as captive creatures successfully break their bonds in an otherwise familiar and "safe" setting, but the mischievous tone and predictable developments mitigate the fear factor. Pair this with Shirley Neitzel's Our Class Took a Trip to the Zoo (Greenwillow, 2002) for a silly armchair adventure.
Carol Ann Wilson, Westfield Memorial Library, NJ
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From the Publisher
In this uproarious cause-and-effect story, one innocent little shout from a young girl creates chaos among the zoo animals. Lively, detailed illustrations bring the friendly stampede of animals to life and will have readers laughing out loud!

About the Author
Karma Wilson is the author of Bear Snores On, a recent New York Times bestseller, winner of the Oppenheimer Toy Platinum Award, and an ALA Notable Children's Boook.

Doug Cushman is an award-winning illustrator with over eighty books to his credit, including the popular Aunt Eater series and the New York Times bestseller What Dads Can't Do.

Customer Reviews

Love this book! Great linguistic imagery!
This book captures the imagination of a child... I can't tell you how many conversations I have had with my own children that remind me of the narrator in this book. The author applies descriptive wording to paint a vivid image of what might happen. The words like "mischievous, dreadful, grouchy, etc" enlighten a child's vocabulary. Of course I don't want my children acting "malicious" but I do want them to know what it means when they hear or read it. It is a great way to introduce new words and talk about positive behavior. My 6 year old son loves the pictures and re-examines them each time we read this. There is a wonderful energy about this book. I can imagine reading this book to a classroom of kindergarteners with wide eyes. It is perfect for that setting! Love it!

I WARNED You! You can't say I didn't!
This is my son's (18 months) FAVORITE book and has been for some time. And we read A LOT of books!! He constantly brings it to me to read and as soon as he hears the first sentence, his whole face lights up. My daughter (age 3 going on 16) loves it as well and she is VERY curious to know what all the big words mean? (which I for one like!) They both love the repetition and beautiful artwork. They especially love the phrase "Don't say I didn't warn you," which is repeated quite often. This is a home run for Karma Wilson! Her best yet in my opinion!!

LOVE THOSE WORDS!
I really loved this book. I am not a teacher just a mom that likes to read to her kids. The concept of the story is cute. I would shout if I dropped my ice cream too!! But it shows you can't just shout anywhere...especially the zoo. My boys like the "describing words". In fact I think on more than one occasion I have used..."Your a BIG BULL MOOSE WITH A BAD ATTITUDE!" Thanks Ms. Wilson for helping me find a way to get my kids out of a bad mood!