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The Last Zookeeper
A master of the wordless form imagines a futuristic Noah’s Ark in a luminous sci-fi parable for our changing world.
The Earth has flooded. The only signs of humankind are the waterlogged structures they left behind. Peeking out from the deluge are the remnants of a zoo, home to rare and endangered animals, survivors of long neglect. Tender-hearted NOA is a construction robot who’s found new purpose as the caretaker of the zoo’s beleaguered inhabitants. Bracing for the next storm, NOA builds an ark from the wreckage in search of new land and a new home, only to discover something even more profound. With boundless compassion and sweeping scenes of sea and sky punctuated by detailed wordless panels to pore over, Caldecott Honor–winning creator Aaron Becker delivers a timely and concrete message about the rewards of caring in even the most difficult of times that is sure to inspire the dreamers among us.
The Earth has flooded. The only signs of humankind are the waterlogged structures they left behind. Peeking out from the deluge are the remnants of a zoo, home to rare and endangered animals, survivors of long neglect. Tender-hearted NOA is a construction robot who’s found new purpose as the caretaker of the zoo’s beleaguered inhabitants. Bracing for the next storm, NOA builds an ark from the wreckage in search of new land and a new home, only to discover something even more profound. With boundless compassion and sweeping scenes of sea and sky punctuated by detailed wordless panels to pore over, Caldecott Honor–winning creator Aaron Becker delivers a timely and concrete message about the rewards of caring in even the most difficult of times that is sure to inspire the dreamers among us.
40 pages, Hardcover
First published March 26, 2024
5 people are currently reading
384 people want to read
About the author
Aaron Becker
13 books415 followersAaron Becker has worked as an artist for such film studios as Lucasfilm, Disney, and Pixar, where he helped define the look and feel of characters, stories, and the movies they become a part of. With Journey, he has created characters and worlds of his very own, using traditional materials and techniques. Aaron Becker lives in Amherst, Massachusetts, with his wife, daughter, and cat. This is his first book.
"I’ve made several memorable journeys in my lifetime. I’ve lived in rural Japan and East Africa and backpacked through the South Pacific and Sweden. But to this day, my favorite destination remains my imagination, where you can often find me drawing secret doorways and magic lanterns." — Aaron Becker
"I’ve made several memorable journeys in my lifetime. I’ve lived in rural Japan and East Africa and backpacked through the South Pacific and Sweden. But to this day, my favorite destination remains my imagination, where you can often find me drawing secret doorways and magic lanterns." — Aaron Becker
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 186 reviews
January 1, 2024
One of the most hauntingly beautiful books of 2023 is Aaron Becker’s The Tree and the River.
Now, of course, I’m going to take the opportunity to read what he has to offer in 2024 with The Last Zookeeper. What has proven true before in his work, remains so: Aaron Becker has one-upped himself. I may have actually cried reading this one.
The opening quote by Jane Goodall is a key, and are the only words other than the usual title page and colophon business:
Only if we understand, can we care.
Only if we care, will we help.
Only if we help, shall all be saved.
We see a world where the water levels have risen—are still rising—and a zoo that this has devastated. We see a gigantic robot traversing the remains to care for the marooned zoo animals. It is all in a day’s work for this zookeeper before it heads home. As with much of Becker’s work, it takes more than one read to take it all in, unless you really take your time. For me, the aloneness was apparent on the first pass; it deepened when I noted the portraits hanging in his residence. The aloneness but also possibility.
In Becker’s robotic wonder, you observe a thinking, emotional creation and we only continue an empathic connection as the story continues. You hope and worry with the last zookeeper; you hold your breath and cross your fingers as it crosses stormy waters with an ark of desperate creatures. Will they find higher ground? What will become of them?
I love the feature that is the robot protagonist; and especially in light of the Goodall quote. What or whom can be made to understand? Becker offers his imagination of a future of climate devastation. He offers an illustration of what isolation, overwhelm, courage against terrible odds—of a migration from a no-longer tenable home looks and feels like…
The zoo animals are innocent; (already previously dislocated/relocated?) and reliant on their keeper. Noticeably absent is any human—what remains is the results of their likely existence (the zoo, the technology, the devastation).
Those familiar with the Bible’s Noah’s Ark story will catch the echoes: the symbol on the zookeeper’s belly and the acronym on its arm, the ship of creatures, the flood, and the rainbow. Is this Becker adding to the corpus of Flood stories; of reminding us of cataclysmic events that have become mythic in scope, but were ultimately survivable (by some)? The scope of this 40 page book in both visual scale, sheer geography, and depth of meaning is breathtaking. The hand isn’t heavy here, but it feels more urgent than The River and the Tree. We need to understand, so we can care, so we can help, so we can be saved.
Thank you Edelweiss+ and Candlewick for the eARC
Now, of course, I’m going to take the opportunity to read what he has to offer in 2024 with The Last Zookeeper. What has proven true before in his work, remains so: Aaron Becker has one-upped himself. I may have actually cried reading this one.
The opening quote by Jane Goodall is a key, and are the only words other than the usual title page and colophon business:
Only if we understand, can we care.
Only if we care, will we help.
Only if we help, shall all be saved.
We see a world where the water levels have risen—are still rising—and a zoo that this has devastated. We see a gigantic robot traversing the remains to care for the marooned zoo animals. It is all in a day’s work for this zookeeper before it heads home. As with much of Becker’s work, it takes more than one read to take it all in, unless you really take your time. For me, the aloneness was apparent on the first pass; it deepened when I noted the portraits hanging in his residence. The aloneness but also possibility.
In Becker’s robotic wonder, you observe a thinking, emotional creation and we only continue an empathic connection as the story continues. You hope and worry with the last zookeeper; you hold your breath and cross your fingers as it crosses stormy waters with an ark of desperate creatures. Will they find higher ground? What will become of them?
I love the feature that is the robot protagonist; and especially in light of the Goodall quote. What or whom can be made to understand? Becker offers his imagination of a future of climate devastation. He offers an illustration of what isolation, overwhelm, courage against terrible odds—of a migration from a no-longer tenable home looks and feels like…
The zoo animals are innocent; (already previously dislocated/relocated?) and reliant on their keeper. Noticeably absent is any human—what remains is the results of their likely existence (the zoo, the technology, the devastation).
Those familiar with the Bible’s Noah’s Ark story will catch the echoes: the symbol on the zookeeper’s belly and the acronym on its arm, the ship of creatures, the flood, and the rainbow. Is this Becker adding to the corpus of Flood stories; of reminding us of cataclysmic events that have become mythic in scope, but were ultimately survivable (by some)? The scope of this 40 page book in both visual scale, sheer geography, and depth of meaning is breathtaking. The hand isn’t heavy here, but it feels more urgent than The River and the Tree. We need to understand, so we can care, so we can help, so we can be saved.
Thank you Edelweiss+ and Candlewick for the eARC
May 8, 2024
Talk about a heartbreaking and beautiful cautionary tale. This wordless picture book shows a giant robot caring for the few surviving inmates of a zoo in a flooded world. Stunning illustrations show the love and concern the robot wordlessly showers on the animals. This lack of language and the absence of humans is glaring, implicating humanity in the destruction of the world as we know it.
The Last Zookeeper is also remarkably biblical, with the robot flying to a dry mountain paradise rising from the floodwaters and crowned by a rainbow. The last zookeeper and the ark of animals together emphasize the power humankind has for destruction - or salvation if we use that power properly.
I am struck by the power of The Last Zookeeper.
The Last Zookeeper is also remarkably biblical, with the robot flying to a dry mountain paradise rising from the floodwaters and crowned by a rainbow. The last zookeeper and the ark of animals together emphasize the power humankind has for destruction - or salvation if we use that power properly.
I am struck by the power of The Last Zookeeper.
May 4, 2024
The watercolors are gorgeous. The "ark" which the robot builds is more a ship than an ark. On an ark, the animals would be completely enclosed inside the vessel, not standing on the deck, where they could be washed overboard in a storm.
The flood in this book looks like a pretty shallow, gentle flood; not like the flood of Genesis, which ripped a single continent into several continents, completely covered every mountain, and totally reformed the surface of the earth and brought a complete climate change to that early earth. All that aside, I still loved this story of robots wanting to preserve the zoo animals, and help them find new places to live.
The flood in this book looks like a pretty shallow, gentle flood; not like the flood of Genesis, which ripped a single continent into several continents, completely covered every mountain, and totally reformed the surface of the earth and brought a complete climate change to that early earth. All that aside, I still loved this story of robots wanting to preserve the zoo animals, and help them find new places to live.
February 16, 2025
Precious. Books without words are some of the best. The hint of a post-apocalyptic setting kept you wondering and emotion conveyed by picture can be profoundly moving.
Definitely enjoyed.
Definitely enjoyed.
March 26, 2025
Poetry in every pixel!
June 14, 2024
Gorgeously illustrated, this wordless picture book begins with a powerful quote by Jane Goodall.
“Only if we understand, can we care.
Only if we care, will we help.
Only if we help, shall all be saved.”
A giant robot (NOA) is taking care of zoo animals that have been marooned on small patches of land, surviving the rising waters surrounding them. Readers see NOA caring for the animals as well as planning, drafting, and gathering materials to make…a boat.
NOA and the animals set off, encountering a beautiful night sky (my favorite spread in the book) as well as a terrible storm. When the ship wrecks, another robot swoops in with a giant air balloon, taking NOA and the animals to a beautiful lush island complete with a rainbow.
So much symbolism to discuss with students readers, especially the absence of humans, power (both to destroy and to save), and the dove (on the robot’s belly).
“Only if we understand, can we care.
Only if we care, will we help.
Only if we help, shall all be saved.”
A giant robot (NOA) is taking care of zoo animals that have been marooned on small patches of land, surviving the rising waters surrounding them. Readers see NOA caring for the animals as well as planning, drafting, and gathering materials to make…a boat.
NOA and the animals set off, encountering a beautiful night sky (my favorite spread in the book) as well as a terrible storm. When the ship wrecks, another robot swoops in with a giant air balloon, taking NOA and the animals to a beautiful lush island complete with a rainbow.
So much symbolism to discuss with students readers, especially the absence of humans, power (both to destroy and to save), and the dove (on the robot’s belly).
Read
December 27, 2023Aaron Becker never ceases to amaze me. I love to pour over the details in his artwork and savor the story he is telling-all through art as this is another masterful wordless picture book from Becker. His books are beautiful and powerful and I often need to sit with them after I read them, think about them, and then read them again. This one is no exception. A lovely story of animals, conservation, healing and hope.
February 17, 2024
EARC provided by Edelweiss Plus
I love a good wordless book, and Aaron Becker does not disappoint. I am looking forward to sharing this with students- there will be so much to talk about after the story has been “read”. This is a must purchase!
I love a good wordless book, and Aaron Becker does not disappoint. I am looking forward to sharing this with students- there will be so much to talk about after the story has been “read”. This is a must purchase!
January 20, 2025
A wordless tale drawn with eerie grace. A giant robot once helped build a massive sea wall. Now it tends to the animals in a flooded zoo. But the waters keep rising. It builds a great sailboat, loads up the animals, and sets out in search of land.
The echoes are deliberate. The robot’s arm reads nöa, with the emblem of a dove bearing an olive branch (which re-echoes with NOAA, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration). The final rainbow is heartening.
The epigraph is from Jane Goodall:
Only if we understand, can we care.
Only if we care, will we help.
Only if we help, shall all be saved.
The echoes are deliberate. The robot’s arm reads nöa, with the emblem of a dove bearing an olive branch (which re-echoes with NOAA, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration). The final rainbow is heartening.
The epigraph is from Jane Goodall:
Only if we understand, can we care.
Only if we care, will we help.
Only if we help, shall all be saved.
January 12, 2025
This gorgeous wordless picture book is a retelling of Noah’s ark, but set in post modern time when climate change and/or lack of human care has washed the world away with floods. A caring robot gently saves the day and finds friendship along the way. It’s one of those books that needs to be read several times to absorb all the details of the story.
June 11, 2024
Beautiful art.
October 23, 2024
Beautiful and creative.
April 22, 2025
I love Aaron Becker's wordless picture books, and this one did not disappoint. It is amazing how he allows you to sense and live within the story without having to articulate it.
June 12, 2024
An engaging post-modern picture book
April 8, 2024
I’m not entirely sure what I just read but I loved it just the same.
September 11, 2024
Wordless picture book | Science fiction | World-building (Appeal terms from NoveList) - Hilary
May 22, 2024
This is a stunning retelling of Noah’s Ark set in the near-future where the robot caretaker of an abandoned zoo builds an ark to save the animals in their care from rising waters and flooding caused by climate change. The story is told entirely through pictures without words. The ending offers hope that if we care and take action, we, the animals, and the earth can yet be saved.
May 18, 2024
A handful of small boats sit abandoned in the floodwaters....
Not far away are small pockets of land above the water that were once a zoo. Buildings long since left to drown poke through the water. A top of an arch here, points of a wrought iron fence there.
Exotic animals left to survive on their own are pleased to see a battered, yellow, towering robot with nöa marked on its outstretched arm, and hands full of food. This robot was once a dam builder along with others but has seen a need. Pandas on a rock, tigers on a small stretch of dirt and elephants in the soggy zoo entrance.
When a storm races in and yet more ground is lost, nöa takes further action, collecting the terrified animals and placing them out of the rising waters. A skilled worker, he builds a vessel to help them escape for good. And still the waters rise. And still storms rage. He too is now at risk.
He is not alone after all, as soon there is another robot and another means of escape. Is there anywhere left that is safe for them all?
A powerful silent picture book showing a world with no human life, just what they've built, lost and left behind. Also left behind are a collection of animals facing rising waters. Zoos are a human invention, but what about the robots that come to the animal's aid? Aren't they a human invention too?
Climate change and the huge effects on the environment are well known and a future we all may face is within the pictures of this book. There are no humans within these pages, but human characteristics are present. Care, thoughtfulness, empathy and planning are strong in the AI of the robot characters as they strive to save deserted zoo animals.
As in all of Aaron Becker's books, The Last Zookeeper is one to pore over to fully experience the story that begins as soon as you open the cover. The robots themselves are fascinating, fueled by different types of green energy sources, but showing human emotions and actions.
For me, humankind redeems itself a little through these robots, no matter the blame that lies at its feet. Lets hope this new nöa is not needed.
Beautifully illustrated, thought provoking and leaving me with the desire to 'read' it again and again to make sure I didn't miss a thing.
A Picture Book for all ages
Not far away are small pockets of land above the water that were once a zoo. Buildings long since left to drown poke through the water. A top of an arch here, points of a wrought iron fence there.
Exotic animals left to survive on their own are pleased to see a battered, yellow, towering robot with nöa marked on its outstretched arm, and hands full of food. This robot was once a dam builder along with others but has seen a need. Pandas on a rock, tigers on a small stretch of dirt and elephants in the soggy zoo entrance.
When a storm races in and yet more ground is lost, nöa takes further action, collecting the terrified animals and placing them out of the rising waters. A skilled worker, he builds a vessel to help them escape for good. And still the waters rise. And still storms rage. He too is now at risk.
He is not alone after all, as soon there is another robot and another means of escape. Is there anywhere left that is safe for them all?
A powerful silent picture book showing a world with no human life, just what they've built, lost and left behind. Also left behind are a collection of animals facing rising waters. Zoos are a human invention, but what about the robots that come to the animal's aid? Aren't they a human invention too?
Climate change and the huge effects on the environment are well known and a future we all may face is within the pictures of this book. There are no humans within these pages, but human characteristics are present. Care, thoughtfulness, empathy and planning are strong in the AI of the robot characters as they strive to save deserted zoo animals.
As in all of Aaron Becker's books, The Last Zookeeper is one to pore over to fully experience the story that begins as soon as you open the cover. The robots themselves are fascinating, fueled by different types of green energy sources, but showing human emotions and actions.
For me, humankind redeems itself a little through these robots, no matter the blame that lies at its feet. Lets hope this new nöa is not needed.
Beautifully illustrated, thought provoking and leaving me with the desire to 'read' it again and again to make sure I didn't miss a thing.
A Picture Book for all ages
March 23, 2024
I'm sure I'm not only the one who wonders who will save humanity or the planet if humanity cannot save itself. Perhaps the answer can be found here in an unlikely form. Then again, perhaps not. Maybe humanity is beyond saving and will only destroy the world once again, given the chance. In this luminous and enlightening wordless picture book, loosely inspired by the classic Biblical Noah's ark story, the earth has flooded, and cities are almost completely drowned. There are no humans to be found, but there are still animals seeking shelter atop buildings and on higher ground. NOA, a large robot responsible for building seawalls to protect the city, stumbles upon several animals left behind in a zoo. Readers can measure his size by comparing it to the tigers and elephants he feeds since they look like toys compared to NOA. As the waters continue to rise and another storm approaches, he constructs a large vessel and boards as many animals as he possibly can. The sea bounds the boat relentlessly as shown in one moving double-page spread, but the ship crashes into a small island. The rescued animals are safe, but not for long, given the size of the island. From out of the sky comes rescue in the form of another robot with a hot air balloon. Together, they help the animals climb into the basket and fly off to a much larger island where the animals can find food and shelter. As always with this author/illustrator, readers must read between the lines or pages, in this case, and even take in the endpapers in order to understand what's happened. The illustrations, created with watercolor, pen, and ink, fill each page with intricate images and an atmospheric, futuristic setting that just might be closer than we think. Those that doubt that a machine or a robot could have a heart or experience emotions may change their minds after reading this story. The importance of caring about others and helping them, a concept stated clearly in the book's epigram from Jane Goodall, is explored on each page.
October 27, 2024
The Last Zookeeper
by Aaron Bccker
Illustrated by Aaron Becker
Candlewick Press
2024
40 pages
ISBN: 978`536227680
In this sweeping, breathtaking artistic masterpiece, NOA, a robot with a huge heart for creatures, steps up to save what is left of the world. There has been a catastrophic flood or tsunami that destroyed everything but an abandoned zoo. A few buildings still stand, but the only life seems to be the animals. NOA plans to save them somehow and take them to dryer and better land.
He plans and designs a small boat, testing the waters. NOA transports the animals to higher ground as he builds a huge boat (ark) to sail to a better location and possibly find others like him and them. NOA sets sail with the animals, and they encounter a terrible storm and become shipwrecked on a beautiful island that is not underwater. Things are looking up...literally...as a friend shows up in a hot air balloon. It's someone NOA is happy to see.
The Last Zookeeper has no text, no words, and none are needed. The gorgeous watercolor art tells the story, and readers are able to make the story up for themselves. There is so much to discuss about NOA's behavior: he, a robot, who has empathy and feelings for living, breathing creatures, so much so, he risked hurting himself to save them. He has hope of finding a better place, of saving all of them, of discovering what is still "out there." He works tirelessly, using his skills to plan and design a boat capable of bearing the weight of all the zoo animals. He is thrilled to see a new land where the animals can thrive.
Genius storytelling through art has never been so masterfully done! Kudos to Aaron Becker for a true WIN! The Last Zookeeper is a book I'll never forget, and I'll bet young readers will remember it always.
So highly recommended if you don't get this book for a young reader, you'll wish you had. The story is ageless and will withstand the test of decades. This is a true classic that will be on every single library shelf everywhere.
For all ages, even pre-readers.
by Aaron Bccker
Illustrated by Aaron Becker
Candlewick Press
2024
40 pages
ISBN: 978`536227680
In this sweeping, breathtaking artistic masterpiece, NOA, a robot with a huge heart for creatures, steps up to save what is left of the world. There has been a catastrophic flood or tsunami that destroyed everything but an abandoned zoo. A few buildings still stand, but the only life seems to be the animals. NOA plans to save them somehow and take them to dryer and better land.
He plans and designs a small boat, testing the waters. NOA transports the animals to higher ground as he builds a huge boat (ark) to sail to a better location and possibly find others like him and them. NOA sets sail with the animals, and they encounter a terrible storm and become shipwrecked on a beautiful island that is not underwater. Things are looking up...literally...as a friend shows up in a hot air balloon. It's someone NOA is happy to see.
The Last Zookeeper has no text, no words, and none are needed. The gorgeous watercolor art tells the story, and readers are able to make the story up for themselves. There is so much to discuss about NOA's behavior: he, a robot, who has empathy and feelings for living, breathing creatures, so much so, he risked hurting himself to save them. He has hope of finding a better place, of saving all of them, of discovering what is still "out there." He works tirelessly, using his skills to plan and design a boat capable of bearing the weight of all the zoo animals. He is thrilled to see a new land where the animals can thrive.
Genius storytelling through art has never been so masterfully done! Kudos to Aaron Becker for a true WIN! The Last Zookeeper is a book I'll never forget, and I'll bet young readers will remember it always.
So highly recommended if you don't get this book for a young reader, you'll wish you had. The story is ageless and will withstand the test of decades. This is a true classic that will be on every single library shelf everywhere.
For all ages, even pre-readers.
January 18, 2025
This wordless flight of fancy by Becker tells the story of NOA, a giant robot struggling to survive in a post-apocalyptic landscape. As his world becomes more environmentally ravaged and the seas rise, threatening to drown all life, he constructs an ark to save all the pairs of animals he can gather.
NOA goes around collecting different species (whom he dwarfs), and though his vessel is destroyed in a storm, he and the animals end up ship-wrecked but safe on a barren island. They are then rescued by a second robot, who arrives in a giant balloon and takes all of them to a paradisiacal setting under a rainbow, signifying the promise of a new beginning.
The epigram by Jane Goodall illustrates Becker’s message about the need to protect and preserve the Earth:
“Only if we understand, can we care. Only if we care, will we help. Only if we help, shall all be saved.”
Like Becker’s earlier book The Tree and the River, in this book too we see loss and despair transformed by hope, determination, and ingenuity into rescue and renewal.
The author/illustrator uses pen-and-ink drawings painted over with watercolor to show elephants, pandas, tigers, lions, and other animals young readers will be familiar with. As always with his books, the landscapes are wondrous: intricately drawn, somewhat medieval, and somewhat steampunk. Thus not only does the book’s lack of words allow readers to fill in the story with their imaginations, but the breadth and depth of the illustrations encourage it as well.
The pictures in this book are not as simple to analyze as some wordless books, so it asks readers to concentrate and ponder. Younger readers can still enjoy this book on a purely visual level at the very least, and those not as adept at reading words will discover just how much they can figure out by other means.
Evaluation: This book, recommended for ages 4 and up, will be enjoyable for all ages to explore together.
NOA goes around collecting different species (whom he dwarfs), and though his vessel is destroyed in a storm, he and the animals end up ship-wrecked but safe on a barren island. They are then rescued by a second robot, who arrives in a giant balloon and takes all of them to a paradisiacal setting under a rainbow, signifying the promise of a new beginning.
The epigram by Jane Goodall illustrates Becker’s message about the need to protect and preserve the Earth:
“Only if we understand, can we care. Only if we care, will we help. Only if we help, shall all be saved.”
Like Becker’s earlier book The Tree and the River, in this book too we see loss and despair transformed by hope, determination, and ingenuity into rescue and renewal.
The author/illustrator uses pen-and-ink drawings painted over with watercolor to show elephants, pandas, tigers, lions, and other animals young readers will be familiar with. As always with his books, the landscapes are wondrous: intricately drawn, somewhat medieval, and somewhat steampunk. Thus not only does the book’s lack of words allow readers to fill in the story with their imaginations, but the breadth and depth of the illustrations encourage it as well.
The pictures in this book are not as simple to analyze as some wordless books, so it asks readers to concentrate and ponder. Younger readers can still enjoy this book on a purely visual level at the very least, and those not as adept at reading words will discover just how much they can figure out by other means.
Evaluation: This book, recommended for ages 4 and up, will be enjoyable for all ages to explore together.
June 5, 2024
This is the latest genre defying Wordless story from Aaron Becker. I really do enjoy his stories, but I feel this one missed the mark. It's beautiful and the story is supposed to make you feel and I don't think it works.
The artwork is stunning and amazing. Everything we expect from Aaron.
The genre is Sci-fy, dystopian, future, robot, nature matters mix. So, the world has flooded and there are these huge, utterly massive robots. One of them is taking care of all the animals at the zoo and making sure they don't drown. One night, it goes to sleep and wakes and the water has risen again, so it finds a way to make a ship and save the animals.
Here's the thing. All the focus is on the robots. The animals are tiny and are hardly able to be seen. They are mostly what we can see the robot cares for. They have some details, but they are background. There are no people.
So, is this saying that machines are what will care for the world and save it???? I'm not sure. Why the robot? Why don't the animals really matter. I'm supposed to care about them, but I can't connect to them, they are too small, so I don't really care. Why is the robot so giant. I guess humanity can't do anything for our future, so we are out of the picture altogether.
Maybe it's saying humanity has lost the ability to care for the planet. We are like the robots and now, only a machine can care for what happens.
I'm now sure. I find it very confusing and the message is odd. It's sort of a hopeless message. Humanity is screwed, but don't worry, the machines will take care of everything. See. I just think this misses on so many levels. it's such a huge and interesting vision that it's a shame it didn't work. I gave it 3 stars because it's so beautiful and it's trying for something grand I feel, but it doesn't get there.
The artwork is stunning and amazing. Everything we expect from Aaron.
The genre is Sci-fy, dystopian, future, robot, nature matters mix. So, the world has flooded and there are these huge, utterly massive robots. One of them is taking care of all the animals at the zoo and making sure they don't drown. One night, it goes to sleep and wakes and the water has risen again, so it finds a way to make a ship and save the animals.
Here's the thing. All the focus is on the robots. The animals are tiny and are hardly able to be seen. They are mostly what we can see the robot cares for. They have some details, but they are background. There are no people.
So, is this saying that machines are what will care for the world and save it???? I'm not sure. Why the robot? Why don't the animals really matter. I'm supposed to care about them, but I can't connect to them, they are too small, so I don't really care. Why is the robot so giant. I guess humanity can't do anything for our future, so we are out of the picture altogether.
Maybe it's saying humanity has lost the ability to care for the planet. We are like the robots and now, only a machine can care for what happens.
I'm now sure. I find it very confusing and the message is odd. It's sort of a hopeless message. Humanity is screwed, but don't worry, the machines will take care of everything. See. I just think this misses on so many levels. it's such a huge and interesting vision that it's a shame it didn't work. I gave it 3 stars because it's so beautiful and it's trying for something grand I feel, but it doesn't get there.
January 4, 2025
Aaron Becker is the "pro" or "go-to" wordless book author and an artist whose work is always a delight to gaze upon and peruse its intricate detail. In The Last Zookeeper he delves into a futuristic world where the Earth is inundated by flood waters with humanity and the animal kingdom at peril of extinction.
To the rescue is NOA (a futuristic nod to the Biblical account of Noah and the world wide flood) a huge robot who seems to have its power from wind turbines and solar panels. A story told by highly detailed, beautifully drawn and colored pictures relates a world seemingly inhabited only with animals and only a single huge robot - and not a single human - remaining as the world floods. Kind hearted NOA builds a boat (an ark?) and helps the animals onto it. A further storm causes more problems. As they become shipwrecked, a sweet ending emerges in the story and a bright future awaits.
What I don't like about the book...... It is a "take" on a Biblical story that I hold dear as I do all of the Bible. The world seems to have no humans and only a robot can save the world. Question is who keeps the robot in repair, programed, etc.
What I do like about the book..... As with other Aaron Becker books, this provides the child the opportunity to closely and in-depth peruse the illustrations to find the story and expand on the story to his or her heart's content. Also, I love Becker's illustrations and choices of colors.
I received a complimentary copy to facilitate a review. Opinions are mine, alone and are freely given.
To the rescue is NOA (a futuristic nod to the Biblical account of Noah and the world wide flood) a huge robot who seems to have its power from wind turbines and solar panels. A story told by highly detailed, beautifully drawn and colored pictures relates a world seemingly inhabited only with animals and only a single huge robot - and not a single human - remaining as the world floods. Kind hearted NOA builds a boat (an ark?) and helps the animals onto it. A further storm causes more problems. As they become shipwrecked, a sweet ending emerges in the story and a bright future awaits.
What I don't like about the book...... It is a "take" on a Biblical story that I hold dear as I do all of the Bible. The world seems to have no humans and only a robot can save the world. Question is who keeps the robot in repair, programed, etc.
What I do like about the book..... As with other Aaron Becker books, this provides the child the opportunity to closely and in-depth peruse the illustrations to find the story and expand on the story to his or her heart's content. Also, I love Becker's illustrations and choices of colors.
I received a complimentary copy to facilitate a review. Opinions are mine, alone and are freely given.
January 27, 2025
Wow! The Last Zookeeper by Aaron Becker is a heart achingly beautiful book, without words. Well, the only words are Jane Goodall’s and they’re key:
Only if we understand, can we care.
Only if we care, will we help.
Only if we help, shall all be saved.
There’s water everywhere, no people, but some buildings, stand still, evidence there once were people in this world. There are animals and a robot with NOA stamped on one of his arms. NOA is bringing leaves to panda bears trapped on a rock, he’s taking care of the animals.
Since I picked this book up as part of my Mock Caldecott, here’s the four criteria I use to review books:
Art quality: How well is the art executed? The watercolor art is gorgeous. This book is a masterpiece.
Art style: Does the art style match the tone of the story? Oh, yes, just spend some time with this book and you’ll feel the story, told by the illustrations, seep into you.
Is the art important to the story? The art is the story, there is no text. I think the lack of words (and people) in this story is glaring - and just reinforces how destructive people can be. The fact that it is a robot named NOA who is wordlessly caring for the animals in the zoo emphasizes this. The illustrations are to be poured over, there is so much detail.
Does it have a child audience in mind? Oh yes, I think because this book isn’t scripted it would be especially appealing to children. The illustrations tell a story that can be added to again and again. With each reading, children (and adults) can see a slightly different version of the story unfolding.
Only if we understand, can we care.
Only if we care, will we help.
Only if we help, shall all be saved.
There’s water everywhere, no people, but some buildings, stand still, evidence there once were people in this world. There are animals and a robot with NOA stamped on one of his arms. NOA is bringing leaves to panda bears trapped on a rock, he’s taking care of the animals.
Since I picked this book up as part of my Mock Caldecott, here’s the four criteria I use to review books:
Art quality: How well is the art executed? The watercolor art is gorgeous. This book is a masterpiece.
Art style: Does the art style match the tone of the story? Oh, yes, just spend some time with this book and you’ll feel the story, told by the illustrations, seep into you.
Is the art important to the story? The art is the story, there is no text. I think the lack of words (and people) in this story is glaring - and just reinforces how destructive people can be. The fact that it is a robot named NOA who is wordlessly caring for the animals in the zoo emphasizes this. The illustrations are to be poured over, there is so much detail.
Does it have a child audience in mind? Oh yes, I think because this book isn’t scripted it would be especially appealing to children. The illustrations tell a story that can be added to again and again. With each reading, children (and adults) can see a slightly different version of the story unfolding.
July 9, 2025
NOA, a gigantic seawall construction robot that survives in a flooded world, comes to the rescue of some stranded zoo animals in this wordless picture book from author/artist Aaron Becker. Working tirelessly, he feeds and cares for the animals, and when continued rain threatens their total destruction, he builds a boat in which they can all withstand the flood. Sailing into the unknown, they encounter terrible storms and come close to perishing, before being rescued by another surviving robot, and brought to an island paradise...
Casting forward into a doubtful future and backward to an ancient past, The Last Zookeeper is a fascinating and futuristic retelling of the biblical story of Noah and his ark, one that spins a powerful spell with artwork alone. The paintings here, done in watercolor and pen and ink, are just lovely, beautifully expressive in their depiction of NOA and the animals, and gorgeous in their totality, especially in the seafaring scenes under the sunny and starry skies. This is a hopeful tale, for all that it is set in a future where cataclysm has come, using one of the great myths of the human past—although Noah is the inspiration here, many cultures throughout the world have an ancient flood story—to imagine a path to survival. Recommended to fans of wordless picture books, and to picture book readers who enjoy science fiction and/or adventure stories.
Casting forward into a doubtful future and backward to an ancient past, The Last Zookeeper is a fascinating and futuristic retelling of the biblical story of Noah and his ark, one that spins a powerful spell with artwork alone. The paintings here, done in watercolor and pen and ink, are just lovely, beautifully expressive in their depiction of NOA and the animals, and gorgeous in their totality, especially in the seafaring scenes under the sunny and starry skies. This is a hopeful tale, for all that it is set in a future where cataclysm has come, using one of the great myths of the human past—although Noah is the inspiration here, many cultures throughout the world have an ancient flood story—to imagine a path to survival. Recommended to fans of wordless picture books, and to picture book readers who enjoy science fiction and/or adventure stories.
April 11, 2024
I knew I liked this books art before I knew it existed: I saw a trade journal whose cover depicted a giant robot shaking out a net of fish to feed some tigers and I just loved it; but, sadly, I didn't see a source for the art and assumed that I never would. However, recently I read The Tree and the River which inspired me to look into other Becker works and when I found this one I instantly recognized it as the source of that picture.
Sadly, I don't feel like the book is quite as good as the art. Becker has a well deserved reputation for wordless storytelling. But that requires both good art and an interesting sequence of events to be depicted. This book has the art, but I just don't feel much from the story it tells; I think it feels too generic and predictable. This of course isn't to bash this book, just making sense of what I felt about it.
Sadly, I don't feel like the book is quite as good as the art. Becker has a well deserved reputation for wordless storytelling. But that requires both good art and an interesting sequence of events to be depicted. This book has the art, but I just don't feel much from the story it tells; I think it feels too generic and predictable. This of course isn't to bash this book, just making sense of what I felt about it.
April 19, 2024
I’m sure you’ve noticed by now that this is a Noahs’ Ark retelling. But told in a way that makes it incredibly pertinent and poignant for the times we live in. Clearly, it is situated in a possible future. The colour tones create an impression of the catastrophe that has befallen. The waters have risen and there is no sign of human life to be found. What is left are the animals, abandoned to their fate by accident or design (we just don’t know.) And NOA; a robot. NOA does not blindly follow some input direction to care for the animals. NOA has to think…to seek out…to find an answer that will allow them to continue. Without language to explain what is happening or what is being experienced, we sense NOAs’ mood by reading body language. This is very effective in helping us along in the story. By posture and colour tone, we can read his, dare I say, feelings; his pensiveness, thoughtfulness, frustration and resolution. The care and concern for is animal charges is palpable. Each panel is filled with incredible detail. time and again, you will notice something different; something new. The beat of the waves; the peppering of too-small islands as they make their way across the waters; the patterns in the stars; the shifting of the clouds; the little surprises along the journey. The subtle changes in the colour palette reflect the time that passes and throughout, there is a building sense of endurance and hope. It is all just beautiful, evocative and filled with wonder. And of course, there is resolution…one that fills us with a sense of wonder, responsibility, relief and a quiet, satisfied joy. A picture book for all generations.
April 28, 2024
THE LAST ZOOKEEPER is a futuristic retelling of Noah's ark where a machine finds the remnants of a human zoo. NOA creates a ship from the wreckage to carry the animals to safety where he recreates his version of a zoo. This story is told without words and each pictures says a thousand words with the attention to detail. NOA resembles AI in a post-apocalyptic world where the humans have been wiped out. It's a scary thought with a powerful message of how kindness can form anywhere. NOA cares for these animals without truly understanding what they are and wants to make sure they're protected from the next storm.
Final Verdict: THE LAST ZOOKEEPER is a great picture book for children aged four and up who like machines and animals. This story combines the two while introducing the idea of a natural disaster, like the earth flooding. Without words, it makes a great picture book for early readers who are learning concepts and morals.
Final Verdict: THE LAST ZOOKEEPER is a great picture book for children aged four and up who like machines and animals. This story combines the two while introducing the idea of a natural disaster, like the earth flooding. Without words, it makes a great picture book for early readers who are learning concepts and morals.
May 13, 2024
I was really excited for this book, for multiple reasons, the main one being that it was a climate change book with an interesting twist. But the execution was not satisfying, and while I was still engaged throughout the book, when the second robot appeared and had solar panels on it, drawing my attention to the first one having wind turbines on it, I felt so irritated by this simplification. It felt like these robots were really dumbed-down metaphors.
Parts of this story were moving, in a one-off sort of way, but the overall story was not enough. I think I'm taking the irritation of this more personally than I would for other books because we need really uplifting, powerful narratives about saving the world.
One thing I will say that I did like is that these robots were looking for animals after extreme climate change events, not "before" -- creating the picture that hope is never completely lost, but I was just really disappointed, unfortunately.
Parts of this story were moving, in a one-off sort of way, but the overall story was not enough. I think I'm taking the irritation of this more personally than I would for other books because we need really uplifting, powerful narratives about saving the world.
One thing I will say that I did like is that these robots were looking for animals after extreme climate change events, not "before" -- creating the picture that hope is never completely lost, but I was just really disappointed, unfortunately.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
October 7, 2024
In an apocalyptic world, a giant robot named Noa, made of scrap metal and powered by wind turbines rescues pairs of zoo animals from a devastating flood. Echoing the biblical story, Noa builds a giant boat out of drift wood and fashions sails from downed circus tents. They survive a brutal storm at sea and wash ashore an island. Help comes from a gigantic balloon delivering a solar powered robot. Together the robots who immediately become partners load the animals two by two onto the balloon. They float off into the rainbow clad horizon to a lush new land, ending the modern parable on a note of hope. This is a wordless picture book with exquisite watercolor pen and ink illustrations. Each page warrants paying attention. There are so many details to notice and ponder. Readers of all ages will find much to talk and wonder about. This exquisite book is worthy of a Caldecott Award.
Recommended for ages 6-10 by the SEPA Book Reviewers
Recommended for ages 6-10 by the SEPA Book Reviewers
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