Dear Zoo

Outline

Dear Zoo (1982) is a lift-the-flap book about a child who writes to the zoo asking for a pet. The zoo sends one animal after another, including an elephant, a giraffe, a lion, and a camel, but each one is too big, too tall, or too fierce, until the perfect pet finally arrives. Rod Campbell’s simple, repetitive text makes it a favourite first book for babies and toddlers.

• A child writes to the zoo asking for a pet, and the zoo answers by sending animals one at a time.
• Each animal that arrives, such as the elephant, giraffe, lion and camel, is unsuitable because it is too big, too tall or too fierce.
• The perfect pet arrives only at the end, after the zoo has tried several wrong choices.
• Lifting the flaps lets young children discover each animal for themselves and keeps them curious about what comes next.
• The simple, repetitive text makes it a favourite first book for babies and toddlers.

Rod Campbell is a British author and illustrator of books for babies and young children. He is a pioneer of interactive lift-the-flap books that invite children to take part in the story. Dear Zoo is his best-known book and has sold millions of copies around the world, and his other titles include Oh Dear! and Buster’s Zoo.