My Visit to the Zoo (Trophy Picture Books) [Paperback]

Aliki (Author, Illustrator)

Book Description

Publication Date: May 5, 1999 | Age Level: 3 and up | Grade Level: K and up | Series: Trophy Picture Books

Welcome to the Zoo...

How would you like to travel from a tropical rain forest to the African plains, and down into a deep canyon all in one day? Then get ready for a wild trip to the zoo and up close look at all kinds of animals! See snow leopards lurking on a ledge, zebras and ostriches running across the open plains, and a tiger splashing in a stream. Find out everything--from what elephants roll in after their baths to which bird might laugh at your jokes. Come take a visit to an amazing zoo!

Imagine traveling from a lush tropical rain forest, to a deep and
mysterious canyon, to the wide-open African plains—all in one day! In this tour of a modern-day zoo, visitors get to see how animals really live. They’ll learn everything from what elephants like to roll around in after their baths to what’s being done to preserve wildlife. Written and illustrated by the inimitable Aliki, this successor to the highly popular titles My Visit to the Dinosaurs and My Visit to the Aquarium is one of the best ways ever for a young child to visit the zoo.

‘Aliki’s accessible text and lush illustrations bring the animal world to life.’ —School Library Journal

‘A fine picture book.’ —Kirkus Reviews

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

PW called this companion to My Visit to the Aquarium "a lively learning expedition." Ages 4-up. (May)
Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From School Library Journal

Kindergarten-Grade 3. Aliki opens the gates to the Zoological Conservation Park, a spacious, wooded zoo with outdoor habitats for animals. As the young narrator and her cousin wander through the exhibits, the text and illustrations deliver information about the habitats and physical and social characteristics of the various animals they see. Sweeping, double- and single-page paintings of scenes from the zoo are interspersed with boxed, close-up looks at some of the plants and animals. All are labeled with species names and country of origin. The children visit the noisy tropical rain forest, take a ride on the monorail through the open plains to see the large herd animals, view myriad birds at the aviary, and pet young animals at the Children's Zoo. A color-coded chart containing a world map shows the habitats of different animals, tells whether or not they are endangered, and lists the page where they can be found. Throughout the narrative, the park is depicted as a sanctuary for wildlife and an active participant in conservation. This book is a "must read" before a class visit to the local zoo. Aliki's accessible text and lush illustrations bring the animal world to life.?Patricia Mahoney Brown, Benjamin Franklin Elementary School, Kenmore, NY
Copyright 1997 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 3 and up
  
• Paperback: 40 pages
• Publisher: HarperCollins (May 5, 1999)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 006446217X
• ISBN-13: 978-0064462174
• Product Dimensions: 11 x 9 x 0.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 6.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #131,493 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #6 in Books > 4-for-3 Books > Children's Books > Animals > Zoos > Nonfiction
  • #13 in Books > 4-for-3 Books > Children's Books > Authors & Illustrators, A-Z > ( A ) > Aliki
  • #46 in Books > 4-for-3 Books > Children's Books > Science, Nature & How It Works > Zoology

More About the Author

Aliki is the author and illustrator of more than fifty books for children that are treasured by readers all over the world. Her many well-loved titles include My Visit to the Zoo, My Visit to the Aquarium, My Visit to the Dinosaurs, Wild and Woolly Mammoths, Tabby, and Those Summers. Aliki lives near the Globe theater, in London, England.

In Her Own Words..."Aliki grew up in Philadelphia in a big Greek family where everyone was busy creating and sharing their activities. She knew from the time she was in kindergarten that she wanted to bean artist, although music was also a natural talent. She was encouraged throughout her early life by her parents and by teachers she will never forget."She graduated from the Philadelphia Collegeof Art and started a career in advertising art. After she married Franz Brandenberg, Aliki continued her career in his country, Switzerland, where they lived for three years. It was there that she wrote and illustrated her first book, The Story of William Tell, which was published in England. When they moved to New York, Aliki wrote and illustrated My Five Senses--the book that changed the direction of her career and her life.

Although she had never thought of being a writer, Aliki has been making books ever since. Children's books, she says, are a combination of two things I love: words and pictures. I also love the privacy of books--both reading them and making them. Aliki writes fiction, in which she can express her feelings, and nonfiction research books about subjects she's interested in and wants to know more about. Each book is a new challenge; each is different, she says. The subject directs the way I illustrate a book, the same way friends bring out different parts of us. The challenge is to get the words right and then to make pictures that expand and enhance their meaning.""Besides her own books, Aliki has illustrated many written by Franz Brandenberg and other authors. Her two children are also in the arts. Jason is a filmmaker and Alexa is a children's book author-illustrator. They appear in almost all of her books as cats, mice, or themselves.

Aliki loves music, theater, cinema, museums, children, her cat, Nefertiti, and working in her garden in London, where she lives. She travels frequently to the U.S., Greece, Switzerland, and other parts of the world, though most of the time she is alone in her studio with the books she is working on--and Mozart."

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Great message, but not a five star book..., May 10, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: My Visit to the Zoo (Library Binding)

I appreciate the message that this book sends, in teaching children about endangered species. The book spends most of the content in providing information on the animals in their habitats, yet tries to pass the information off in a story. I think the facts provided are wonderful for children to learn, and the illustrations do help lure the children into asking questions, but overall the book lacks a little in keeping a child's attention. Not quite a five star book, as a result, but very worthwhile information on endangered animals.

4.0 out of 5 stars Zoo visit is a winner!, December 1, 2009

By 

C. Wilson (Gloucester, VA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: My Visit to the Zoo (Trophy Picture Books) (Paperback)

I gave this book as a gift to a student I work with at school. She absolutely loved it! It has so many things to keep a young reader busy. There's lots of colorful art work!

5.0 out of 5 stars I love it!, January 5, 2006

A Kid's Review

This review is from: My Visit to the Zoo (Trophy Picture Books) (Paperback)

It is really a good book for kids. I like the great information about animals in this book.