1 Zany Zoo/1 Zoo Loco

by Lori Degman

Winner! Cheerios New Author Contest

Genres: Picture Books, Animals, Childrens, Counting, Storytime, Humor, Mathematics

Paperback

First published January 1, 2010

About the author

"Lori Degman is a teacher of the Deaf/Hard of Hearing by day and a children's book author by night, weekend, and school holiday. She writes in rhyme, most of the time - but not always!

Lori is the award-winning author of:
1 Zany Zoo (Simon & Schuster in 2010) - An Illinois Reads Book Selection; winner of the Cheerios New Author Contest and Mom's Choice Award.

Cock-a-Doodle Oops! (Creston Books, 2014) - International Literacy Association Honor Book and winner of Mom's Choice Award.

Norbert's Big Dream (Sleeping Bear Press, 2016).

Reviews

[Stacy · Rating 5 out of 5]

A rhyming book about one crazy zoo. The book is also bilingual (English/Spanish). We loved it!

[Stephanie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Super cute story about animals at the zoo.

[Marfita · Rating 2 out of 5]

The rhymes were cute, but I found the lively illustrations too distracting, too busy. It's too busy for a group storytime. The cover is a much better example of illustration, being lively yet uncluttered. It might have been my crusty old-person's eyes, but I had trouble seeing in the illustrations what was described in the text because of the sketchy style and the general busy-ness of the art. It is aimed at age 3 and up, and the counting concept might work for them, but illustration still seems above a 3's head. One of the illustrations has monkey's beating on turtles undersides instead of the backs as described in the text. Art seems too old for a young child and the text too young for an older one. Otherwise, these two newcomers show promise.
There was a note on the back that activities were available at the Simon & Schuster website, but navigating that was aggravating and when I finally found the activities page for this book, it was, at this date, empty.

[Beth · Rating 5 out of 5]

Hey this was lots of fun. Been a long time since I read a little kids book. Highly reccommend it for all those 2-6 year olds out there...It was in English & Spanish....cool all around! Makes me want to visit a zoo again!

[H. Givens · Rating 4 out of 5]

Love the chunky art and everything happening on each page. It might not be a good choice for group story time, but perfect for older kids or two or three who want to spend a lot of time on each page, pointing out all the funny things. I loved playing "spot the fox" on each new page. :D

[Emily · Rating 4 out of 5]

It’s catchy, it’s rhymes’ and has a cute story line. It's one of my favorites to read at bedtime.

[Karen · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was a quirky twist on the traditional counting books. The rhymes were fun, and the illustrations were over-the-top frenetic.

[Lindsey · Rating 5 out of 5]

Numbers, animals, alliteration and fun. Great read.

Activities that go with it online.

[Olivia · Rating 5 out of 5]

My daughter loved it and I enjoyed reading it to her. I love how different the pictures are and the rhymes are well done. Lots of giggles 😂

[Karen · Rating 3 out of 5]

Cute story. Not crazy about the illustrations.

[Janet Estrada · Rating 5 out of 5]

Super cute and random but im not counting it to my reading goal 🙃

[Erin · Rating 3 out of 5]

Very cute and clever rhyming book. I didn't love the art, so that took away from the general feel of the book.

[Samantha]

Zoo storytime

[Sean Harding · Rating 3 out of 5]

Degman Deggies #1

Rhyming language and counting books in absurdist anthropomorphic story which will be enjoyed by younger readers.

[Lynn Davidson · Rating 4 out of 5]

One morning a boy sneaks into the zoo before opening time. What he sees he thinks no one will believe.
This book is a different 1-to-10 counting book set in rhyme. One fearless fox takes the zookeeper's keys and sets the animals free. Two zebras, three beavers, four elephants ... and other animals including ten rowdy bears, create such a ruckus in the zoo - it is unbelievable!

Funny with fun illustrations.

[Erik This Kid Reviews Books · Rating 5 out of 5]

A little boy waiting in line for the zoo to open, sneaks into the zoo through a hidden gate. What he see is that the zoo isn’t quite ready to open yet. The fox has escaped, the zebras are swimming with the walruses and the beavers are cooking chilli! All the animals are going ZANY while the zookeeper tries to get them to behave.

Why I liked this book – What kid wouldn’t want to get into the zoo before it opens and see what is going on?!? This is a hilarious book! The rhyme is perfect and it is very fun to read out loud. The illustrations are great! They are as funny as the story and go with it well.

Along with the great story and illustrations, kids will learn how to count to ten. I think that the animals and their wacky behavior will help kids remember their numbers!

**NOTE I won a copy of this book in a give-away.

[Kelly · Rating 4 out of 5]

1 Zany Zoo is a nominee for the 2012-13 South Carolina Picture Book Award.

The best part about 1 Zany Zoo has to be the illustrations. Colin Jack's exciting pictures bring to mind Disney favorites, most especially the Banks' children's journey into the magical paintings in Mary Poppins. Children will enjoy counting the different animals in this book as well as looking for the mischievous fox that has stolen the zookeeper's keys. (He appears in every panel--in some form or fashion.)

I'd love to read this story to my 1st grade students before they take their yearly field trip to the local zoo. It would be fun to hear what they think zoo animals do while no one is watching!

[Tam · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a good rhyming book for my 4-year-old because the story was short and there were things for him to look for on the pages.

Inside the Zoo, "1 fearless fox grabbed the zookeeper's keys. He used them to set all the animals free."

Each page counts a different number of animals so my child could count the animals plus look for other things that were mentioned . . .

"6 groovy 'roos tapped the beat with their shoes,
and laughing hyenas sang rhythm and blues.
A lizard in sunglasses wailed on the sax,
while monkeys kept time on the box turtles' backs."

[Susanna · Rating 5 out of 5]

I Zany Zoo is a fun read. Catchy rhyme, tongue-twistery word combos, a counting element, and a wacky story that brings to mind Dr. Seuss's And To Think That I Saw It On Mulberry Street combine for a reading experience that will leave your little ones enchanted and asking you to read it again. My favorite line? "2 sporty zebras in goggles and flippers/were snipping the walrus's whiskers with clippers." And the end begs the question: did this REALLY happen, or was the boy letting his imagination run wild to pass the time waiting in line? You've got to wonder... Recommended.

[Stephanie Skolmoski · Rating 4 out of 5]

What would happen if you could see what zoo animals do when no one is looking? That very thing happened to a boy as he watched a fox steal the keys to the zoo cages and let the animals free. The hippos played musical chairs, the kangaroos had a band, the monkeys played hid-'n-seek , what a great free-for-all! But just before the zoo was to open, the zoo keeper found his keys and put order back.

What a delightful story to read to a child. You are sure to laugh with them as each page is turned. The illustrations keep even the youngest child entertained.

[Danniell · Rating 5 out of 5]

Absolutely love this book. I got it off a Cheerios box and is worth a paid version. My daugther loved the pictures of animals, the counting and the flow of the rhymes. Every once in a while, you could get tripped up in the wording. A good read. My daughters favorite line "Get back in your cages." She could barely talk and loved saying that part. I loved reading it. I found it more entertaining when I read it out loud.

[Paula · Rating 4 out of 5]

A good one for storytime, this counting book features irresistable rhymes ("I tried to imagine what else they had planned / Then somebody hollered, 'Come hear the new band!'") and a Seussian behind-the-scenes plot involving pilfered keys and jinks that can only be described as hi. The energetic, colorful, sketchy-scratchy illustration is reminiscent of the jazzier scenes in the old Jungle Book.

[Laura · Rating 3 out of 5]

What happens when one sneaky fox lets all the animals out of their cages? One zany zoo full of animals misbehaving. My kindergartners will enjoy this rhyming, counting book and will get a kick out of the animals' antics. I did find the pictures very busy, and some of them are too small or detailed to enjoy without close inspection. A fine choice for school and public libraries.

[Jazmin Palma]

Great book to read. With this children can learn about different animals and counting. It is a fun and silly book to read to children. While reading the book the children can describe the animals and even pretend to be that animal by making the sound they make or walking like them. I would also bring in different pictures of animals. It would make a great animal safari theme.

[The Brothers · Rating 4 out of 5]

A Dr. Suess-ish rhyming story about a little boy who sneaked into the zoo before it opened and saw the chaos there-in. A fox had stolen the keys from the zookeeper and was letting all the animals out of their cages. Dex (2 years old) really liked trying to find that sly fox on every page.

Excellent illustrations.

[Jenn Swanson · Rating 4 out of 5]

My daughter started off hating this book. She wanted me to stop but I convinced her it would get better. I was glad I was right. This is a book about what happens before the zoo opens. Basically one sly fox takes the zookeeper's keys and causes a whole bunch of mayhem. The illustrations were entertaining. Would recommend.

[Mary · Rating 5 out of 5]

LOVED this book. The writing and prose are superbly clever, and the illustrations marvelously compliment the story. Lori should become a full-time author and continue her writing for children and adults who are young at heart.

[Michelle · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a very cute book about what happens before the zoo is opened to visitors. It is a great book to read to students who are taking a field trip to the zoo. At the end of the story, students can add up all the animals that were zany in the zoo.

[Anthony · Rating 4 out of 5]

One customer sneaks into the zoo before it opens and witnesses some zany goings on when a sly fox steals the zookeeper's keys to all the animal cages. This rhyming and counting book is full of laughs and outrageous events all before opening time.

[Dianna · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book came free in a Cheerios box.