From jump-roping skunks to book-reading sharks, the animals in this girl's make-believe zoo will do whatever she wants. Messing with nature is fun at first, until we see how hilariously wrong things go. Oinking otters! Picketing ground hogs! Stage-crashing pigs! What could be next? With deadpan text and eye-popping art, this raucous picture book builds gleefully to a riot of craziness that brings the whole fantasy tumbling down—in a comedic warning against imaginary menageries that kids will find hilarious.
Understanding that words are read from left to right and pages are read from top to bottom
Recognizing their name in print and other often-seen words, like those on signs name beginning letters or sounds of words
Matching some letters to their sounds
Developing awareness of syllables
May use familiar letters to try writing words
Retelling stories that have been read to them
Your child already knows how to read some words! Familiar favorite words like their own name, friends’ names, the name of their favorite restaurant, or other places you frequent, are part of your child’s sight word vocabulary. They aren’t quite decoding the words as they will later but they recognize the shape of the word when written out. Some logos like McDonalds or Subway also have color cues that your child can use to figure out the word. More and more, your child is paying attention to the visual clues of words. They are also continuing to make connections between the sounds and the letters that represent them. They may be telling stories by drawing pictures and sometimes adding letters or even a whole word to their drawings. This is a busy time in emergent literacy as your child is standing right on the edge of being able to read and write themselves!
Click here to see a full list of milestones for your 4-year-old as well as tips and activities for you and your child!
Why did we select this book?
There is nothing better than laughter to reinforce that books and reading are a wonderful part of any day. When your child starts to understand how real animals behave, it can be quite funny when they act differently. From bears driving cars to tigers eating macaroni and cheese, there is so much in this book to make you both smile. If not all of the jokes or words make sense to your child, no worries. You'll both get plenty of delight from the rhyming words. For example, the tiger page has trees, breeze, cheese, and sneeze. Try to revisit the pictures to reinforce these words and the humor. For example, point out the tiger who is being offered tissues and reread the line, "Pardon me, but I think I might sneeze!" And, as always, when something in your daily life reminds you of a part of this book, bring it up. When you're making macaroni and cheese, repeat the line, "Pardon me, but I think I might sneeze!" Laughing together is a great way for your child to learn!
My son thinks this book is hilarious. When we are done, we think of funny things that animals could say or do. A lot of laughing before bed is a good thing.
