Product Description

There's an animal strike at the zoo!

oh no, oh my!

What's a zookeeper to do when the lions and tigers and bears refuse to roar and prowl and growl? And when little Sue, who has been waiting all year for this trip to the zoo, enters the gate, will the animals decide to give their strike a break?

Karma Wilson's fun, playful text paired with Margaret Spengler's bright and lively pastels create an unforgettable, irresistible zoo of chaos and fun!

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #15412 in Books
• Published on: 2006-06-01
• Released on: 2006-05-30
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Hardcover
• 32 pages

From School Library Journal
PreSchool-Grade 3–A rhyming, rhythmic, and lyrical charmer about zoo animals going on strike. It all starts when the elephants complain, We're paid only peanuts! All of the animals follow suit, reminiscent of Doreen Cronin's Click, Clack, Moo: Cows That Type (S & S, 2000). The monkeys demand, We want a nice pool in our pen!, the zebras demand root-beer floats, and the giraffes are wearing turtleneck sweaters from their heads to the floor... as camouflage. All is chaos as the zookeeper must pacify the animals, and there appears to be no end in sight until a first-time visitor burst into tears. It is only then, in a loud hush, that it becomes apparent to the residents just how important their job really is. The pages are bursting with color, whimsical expressions abound, and loads of laughter will be shared by all.–Wanda Meyers-Hines, Ridgecrest Elementary School, Huntsville, AL
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Review
Sunny scenes featuring dot-eyed, shiny-surfaced zoo animals give this otherwise ill-conceived outing visual polish, at least. In a plot that will warm the cockles of anti-unionist hearts, the animals declare a strike-" 'We're paid only peanuts!' the elephants shout. / 'And goodness, we're bigger than that.' / So now they won't trumpet or lumber about. / They sit in the shade, looking fat." A weeping child shames them into going back to work, whereupon they realize that "they actually like what they do." Intentionally or not, an even clearer message emerges as the zookeeper, supposedly "doing the best that he can," offers the elephants pecans and a shorter work day, but those ungrateful monkeys complain that the water in their small new kiddy pool is cold, and the zebras stubbornly reject the proffered oats, demanding the right to choose their own feed. Young readers will not only stumble over the text's markedly irregular metrics, they are also likely to wonder how animals on strike are different from those on the job, as standing or sitting idly about is what real zoo residents usually do anyway. (Picture book. 7-9) (Kirkus Reviews)

About the Author

Karma Wilson is the bestselling author of Bear Snores On and Bear Wants More, both illustrated by Jane Chapman, as well as Mama Always Comes Home, illustrated by Brooke Dyer. She lives with her family in northern Idaho.

Customer Reviews

My 3 Sons LOVE IT!!!
I bought this book since we also own "A Frog in the Bog" by Karma Wilson. Since that one was a favorite, I thought this book was a shoe in. Little did I know, it would quickly become the most popular book with all 3 boys (5 yrs-16 mo). They love the colorful animal illustrations & the rhythmic flow of the text. If they hear me reading it to one boy, they come running & want me to read it over & over. THIS BOOK IS A WINNER!!!

So cute!
I love all of Karma Wilson's books. My almost 4 year old does too! The art in her books is always great, too. I treasure them all and enjoy reading them to my child.

Cute! Cute! Cute!
I bought this for my nephew for his third birthday and he loved it! My three year old also loves this book (we checked it out from the library). The rhyming in this book is great (classic Karma Wilson) and the illustrations are beautiful.