Construction Zoo

August 15, 2018
The hitherto-unseen alliance of dual toddler obsessions (construction equipment and zoo animals) comes together at last.When a team of brassy construction vehicles drives through the local zoo, the animal residents aren't quite sure what to think. Yet even the most preliminary investigations reveal that there's something special about these trucks. The rhino finds a temperamental soul mate in the bulldozer, the monkeys play with the wrecking ball, and the giant tortoise sees a kindred spirit in the dump truck. It isn't long before the animals are aiding their newfound friends. Thorne manages to play completely fair with the construction/zoo pairings, coming up with occasionally inspired duos, as with the giraffe and the crane or the elephant and the excavator. Graphic elements have a brightly colored geometry to their designs. The angular art has an almost structural simplicity, but it's a pity the illustrator failed to show any changes between the zoo before the construction and afterward. Though readers are assured at the end that "now the zoo is twice the fun," it's not at all clear how this might be. From the standpoint of the text, its bounce makes this ideal storytime fare, and it rhymes perfectly, with the possible exception of an awkward stanza near the end.Minor missteps aside, consider this a one-stop shopping source when zoo and construction needs must be simultaneously met. (Picture book. 2-5)

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October 15, 2018
Preschool-K This giddy pairing of zoo animals and construction equipment is a fun way to teach youngsters a whole slew of shapes. From the cover (showing a digger truck and an elephant saluting each other with upraised scooper and trunk) on, the simple lines of the bright digital illustrations underscore the shape similarities of two of kids' favorite things: exotic animals and construction vehicles. A zoo makeover gives occasion for the digger, cement truck, crane, and bulldozer to share the space with the zoo denizens. At first, the animals are curious but scared, but they soon learn to appreciate the trucks; and readers will love seeing animals and vehicles juxtaposed throughout. For example, the giraffe cranes his neck to greet the crane on the facing page, the rhino faces off against a bulldozer, and tiger cubs watch the cement truck spinning, its stripes resembling their own when they roll around in play. The rhyming text and use of vivid action words (tumbling, digging, smashing, etc.) make this a great read-aloud as well.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2018, American Library Association.)

January 1, 2019
A cavalcade of noisy construction vehicles disrupts a quiet morning at the zoo, but kindred spirits emerge amid the goings-on: a giraffe and a crane hit it off, monkeys play with a wrecking ball, and so on. The rhyming text is uneven in places, but the combination of zoo animals and vehicles will keep toddlers entertained. Simple, geometric illustrations convey the affinity of each pair.

(Copyright 2019 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)