'Twas the Day Before Zoo Day by Catherine Ipcizade; illustrated by Ben Hodson

'Twas the Day Before Zoo Day by Catherine Ipcizade; illustrated by Ben Hodson

• Reading level: Ages 4-8
  
• Hardcover: 32 pages
• Publisher: Sylvan Dell Publishing (February 10, 2008)
• Language: English

'Twas the Day Before Zoo Day is an adaptation of Clement Moore’s classic poem “The Night Before Christmas.” As the title implies, it’s the day before “Zoo Day,” when lots of children and their families will be visiting the zoo. The trainers and zookeepers are in a rush to make sure everything is clean and all of the animals are on their best behavior, but the elephants can’t resist the mud, and the llamas won’t stop spitting.

Through this entertaining story, we learn many fun facts about animals. For example, did you know that lions sleep 20 hours a day and that rhinos weigh as much as a car?

And who wouldn’t have fun reading text like this?:

“Giraffes used their blue tongues to drink and to slurp. ‘We might drool sometimes, but we try not to burp.’”

The rhythmic text makes for a great read aloud, and children will laugh out loud more than once, especially at Ben Hodson’s vivid illustrations of the animals with hilarious facial expressions.

If you have a child who loves animals, this would be an excellent choice.

As with all their books, Sylvan Dell has a wealth of teaching activities and more supplemental materials for parents and teachers.