A Room with a Zoo

by Jules Feiffer

Nine-year-old Julie decorates her room with a vast array of creatures, including a cat, a hamster, a fish, a turtle, a kitten, and a cranky hermit crab, all of which take over the house and her life, but she still wants more.

Genres: Fiction, Childrens, Animals, Realistic Fiction, Juvenile

192 pages, Hardcover

First published September 16, 2005

About the author

Jules Feiffer was an American cartoonist, playwright, screenwriter, and author whose work left a significant imprint on American satire and cultural commentary. Emerging from the postwar era of newspaper comics, he first gained recognition through his long-running comic strip published in The Village Voice, where his loose, expressive line drawings and psychologically sharp dialogue captured the anxieties, contradictions, and social performances of contemporary life. Feiffer used humor to critique politics, relationships, and everyday neuroses, developing a voice that felt conversational, self-aware, and deeply engaged with the shifting cultural moods of the United States. His graphic style, which often emphasized gesture and tone over detailed renderings, was equally distinctive, and helped expand the visual vocabulary of editorial and literary cartooning. Beyond his cartoons, Feiffer became an accomplished writer for stage and screen; his play Little Murders offered a darkly comic exploration of violence and alienation in urban America, while his screenplay for Mike Nichols’s film Carnal Knowledge drew widespread attention for its unflinching examination of intimacy and desire. Feiffer also wrote children’s books, including the popular The Phantom Tollbooth, for which he provided the illustrations that helped establish the book’s imaginative visual identity. He demonstrated an enduring commitment to making art accessible, engaging with students and general audiences alike through teaching and public appearances, and continued producing work across multiple genres throughout his life. His comics and writings were often autobiographical in spirit, even when fictionalized, providing commentary on his experiences growing up in New York and moving through decades of cultural change. Feiffer received numerous honors for his contributions to American arts, including major awards recognizing his innovation in cartooning, his influence on graphic storytelling, and his impact on theater and film. His later work included longer-form graphic novels and personal memoirs, reflecting on childhood, family, and the evolution of his artistic voice. Feiffer remained an active and inquisitive creator well into his later years, consistently exploring new creative forms and responding to contemporary political and social issues. His legacy is seen in the work of generations of cartoonists and writers who drew inspiration from his willingness to bring emotional depth, social critique, and literary ambition to comics and satire. Feiffer’s work stands as a testament to the power of humor to illuminate the complexities of human behavior and the cultural forces that shape everyday life.

Reviews

[Nora · Rating 3 out of 5]

Told in a realistic but sometimes taxing stream-of-consciousness of a fourth grader. She continues to gain pets from her indulgent parents and ends up with a zoo in her room, creating lots of excitement.

My animal-crazed girls will like this book. I laughed at some adult humor, so maybe it would be a good read-aloud for 2nd- 4th grades.

[Kee B. · Rating 4 out of 5]

In A Room with a Zoo by Jules Feiffer, a young girl named Julie is obsessed with animals. She desperately wants a dog, but her parents refuse to get her one. Instead, they give her a succession of "easier" animals, starting with a hamster named Hammy. Eventually, Julie also has a fish named Oscar, two cats named Jessie and Timmy, a turtle named Turtelini, plus other temporary pets like three gold fish and a rabbit with cancer. All of these pets result in chaos at the end of the story that causes Julie to injure herself seriously. After getting all stitched up, however, her parents reward her for her bravery by getting her a puppy.

I thought this book was a decent book for younger kids. Julie is a young preteen just beginning to learn about herself and learn about personal responsibility. Julie can be a frustrating protagonist that I think is a little bit hard to relate to, especially because the story comes off so stream of consciousness, it can sometimes be hard to empathize with her irrational choices. I think part of this is because this book is sort of on the fence between young adult and children's literature, as Julie is at a tween age. However, Julie has to learn about the importance of taking care of living things and the personal responsibility that comes with a pet. She also begins to notice things about the relationships in her life, beginning to understand that people can be irrational or cruel, but as long as you are loving, things turn out okay.

[Judy · Rating 4 out of 5]

early 2000's, NYC
4th grade Julie, adopted daughter of the Feiffers

Initially, I rated this as a 3, but after doing a little research, I upped the rating to 4. Why? Because it prompted me to learn more about Jules Feiffer and his family, and when a book nudges my curiosity it deserves a higher rating.

From the book jacket:
Julie's story is related in her own words, as imagined by her author/illustrator father, who has given real life a fictional makeover that is both hilarious and moving.

While the main story strand is about a child who really loves animals and desperately wants a dog, it is also about family life. And, after looking up more about the Feiffer family, I think it portrays something about adoption, mixed-race adoption. Julie tells the reader, she has brown skin with dark curly hair. After my internet searches, I'm left wondering what Julie would say about her relationship with her varied family members.

[Rachel · Rating 1 out of 5]

I realize this is for a much younger age group than I am in, however I did read it as a child as well. As a child I was also obsessed with animals, and the name of the story really drew me in.

At the time, I remember not liking it fantastically, but now that I’ve read it again when I’m much older, it’s safe to say it is not the book for me.

The point of this book is clearly to peek into the author’s life, which is fine.
The actual writing is wonky and lacks grammar (which fits well, considering it’s from the perspective of a 4th grader, but at times it left me confused)

[Tess Jones-Orta · Rating 2 out of 5]

I'm really disappointed in this book. I've enjoyed others by Jules Feiffer but this book is poorly written and dull. Julie's mom is mean, her friends are unkind, and she herself isn't very enjoyable, which is sad to say since she is his real daughter and this is based on a true story.

[Elizabeth · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fantastic read aloud if you're a classroom teacher. Kids can relate to wanting pets, family interactions, adoption, multiracial families and more.

[Sarap · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5

[Giulia Rosato · Rating 3 out of 5]

L'ho letto quando ero piccola. Probabilmente do tre stelle solo perché adesso sono più grande

[CraftyChara · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5

[Ame · Rating 4 out of 5]

Amazing book, though it may be nostalgia talking. I was gifted this book when I was younger since I loved animals and really liked this book. Looking back it was interesting to see how a young girl did not truly understand animals having animal. In one scene she was putting her cat and hamster in a bathtub to make them be friends. It was not a good scene but it makes sense. She is a young girl and did not understand why they couldn’t be Friends. But other than that it was an amazing read that I would recommend to your younger kids or your friends with younger kids!

[Michael · Rating 2 out of 5]

My love of A Barrel of Laughs, a Vale of Tears and The Man in the Ceiling is such that I doubt Feiffer could have done anything but disappoint.

Yet even with that caveat, there is something about this book that feels smaller than its conceit. The story is a first-person tale of Julie and her many pets, clearly the adopted child of Jules Feiffer. Julie is a classic comic narrator, one who understands less than does the reader, and so we laugh at her fumbled attempts to fix things. Mostly this works, but other times there is a faint whiff of the adult to the proceedings, a bit of condescension towards Julie that I think most kid readers will miss entirely. Made me wonder who, exactly, the ideal reader for this novel is.

As usual with Feiffer, he ends the book beautifully. But that isn't enough to make up for the other problems I've got with this.

[Carissa · Rating 5 out of 5]

if you loved animals as a kid (or if you still do) then you will relate well to this story of a young girl (the author’s daughter) who acquires more and more pets throughout this rollicking tale. all she really wants is a dog, but her mother doesn’t like dogs and her father isn’t sure she’s old enough to take care of a dog, so they get her a cat. and then a hamster. and then a fish. and then a turtle. and then another cat. feiffer does an excellent job of telling the story through his daughter’s eyes and the end of the story (which includes a fish in the toilet, a broken vase, and dad throwing out his back) had me in stitches!

[Jacob Hartog · Rating 5 out of 5]

This memoir/novel from the perspective of Jules's adopted African-American daughter, about her love of animals and the many that come to live in their small Upper-West Side apartment, feels like a modest, urban answer to Gerald Durrell's classic My Family and Other Animals. Like that book, Feiffer's story is told with the mixture of love and clear-eyed humor that marks the best family stories, in which both our human and non-human family members can drive us utterly crazy. A treat to read with my own daughter.

[Jacoba · Rating 4 out of 5]

9 year old me would have LOVED this book.
29 year old me is glad I don't have kids.

Julie is a fourth grader who loves animals and tries to convince her parents to get her a puppy. They tell her she is not old enough for one and instead give her a host of animals, starting out small and increasing in size and responsibility. Julie narrates it in a stream of consciousness fashion and I am not going to lie I almost did not finish this book. I am glad I stuck it out-it took a turn at the end and it made it really enjoyable.

[Michelle · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is written by Jules from the point of view of his adopted daughter. He has captured the mind and language of the young narrator and the result is story filled with anger, sadness, hilarity and joy--sometimes side-by-side! I'd say it's a great book for the 9-12 year-old reader or the advanced 7-9 year old. Although I laughed out loud when I read it myself. I'm currently reading aloud to my 1-4th grade class and they love it.

[Chris Cohen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Adorable look into the mind of a child, though the honest and loving eyes of her father. Anyone who remembered their own childhood will sympathize with Julie and her childhood ups and downs, as real as anything adults experience -- and sometimes even more intense. I adore Jules, and now I adore Julie, too.

[Brandy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Funny, and a great voice throughout. I'd have loved this if I were 10 or a huge animal lover (not to imply I kick puppies or anything; I don't).

[Lisa Marie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Adorable.

[Rachel]

Really good! About a girl who loves animals and keeps getting more and more, until things sort of get out of hand.

[Caroline]

AWESOMEEEEE

[Jenny · Rating 4 out of 5]

GREAT BOOK !!!!!!!!!!!

[Susan · Rating 2 out of 5]

Don't remember much about this book...but it was weird.
I just remember a part when the girl had her leg cut off partially...and that's it.

[Jocelyn · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a good book because it is about a girl and her animals.

[Beth Shields-Szostak]

1st edition, signed & inscribed by author

[BethAnn · Rating 4 out of 5]

http://www.examiner.com/exotic-pets-i...

[Mckenzie 11-12 · Rating 4 out of 5]

I liked the book because it showed that if you collect a bunch of animals you never know that it could become a zoo! But from a scale from a 1 to a 10 I give it a TEN!!

[Dionne · Rating 5 out of 5]

For every person/child (including me) who has ever wanted a dog but had to wait patiently to get one.

[Michelle · Rating 3 out of 5]

I think this book is very funny becuase she buys alot of pets some die and some live,the character that I like most is Hammy he is very small and very cut to I wish I couldhave him.

[Lara · Rating 3 out of 5]

a good quick read while at the gym

[Michline Fiordelisi · Rating 3 out of 5]

Cute story but took awhile for the plot to thicken.