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Zoo
A boy endures a tedious visit to the zoo with his family.
32 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 1992
13 people are currently reading
321 people want to read
About the author
Anthony Browne
163 books316 followersAnthony Browne, a Hans Christian Andersen Medalist, is the author-illustrator of many acclaimed books for children, including Silly Billy and Little Beauty. He lives in Kent, England.
Librarian Note: There is more than one author in the GoodReads database with this name. See this thread for more information.
Librarian Note: There is more than one author in the GoodReads database with this name. See this thread for more information.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 112 reviews
April 9, 2018
I honestly did not like this book, but I think it should be read.
By everyone.
Essentially the story is nothing more than a family's trip to the zoo. The father behaves like, well . . . an animal. He and his sons grow quite irate as they encounter cage after cage of pacing, miserable creatures.
Hey, they came there to be entertained, dammit!
Browne's artwork is, as always, terrific, but the concept is pretty depressing. The author is obviously no fan of zoos, and some readers may find the book a bit too manipulative or preachy. I'm thinking it would certainly provoke discussion, though younger children may find a few of the images too disturbing.
Hell, I almost burst into tears over this one:
I hope the mom hires a good divorce attorney as soon as she gets home.
By everyone.
Essentially the story is nothing more than a family's trip to the zoo. The father behaves like, well . . . an animal. He and his sons grow quite irate as they encounter cage after cage of pacing, miserable creatures.
Hey, they came there to be entertained, dammit!
Browne's artwork is, as always, terrific, but the concept is pretty depressing. The author is obviously no fan of zoos, and some readers may find the book a bit too manipulative or preachy. I'm thinking it would certainly provoke discussion, though younger children may find a few of the images too disturbing.
Hell, I almost burst into tears over this one:
I hope the mom hires a good divorce attorney as soon as she gets home.
May 19, 2017
Brilliant.
February 12, 2018
Dios! Creo que algo de mi se movió después de leer este libro.
Que impactante es como la literatura logra provocarnos sensaciones inolvidables, terroríficas y realistas en tan pocas palabras.
Este libro no hizo más que darme cuenta de lo fieras que somos y no nos damos cuenta, de quienes son los que deberíamos estar encerrados. !Que fuerte imagen!
La ilustraciones son un reflejo claro de todo este morbo y cinismo que tenemos los seres humanos. Pero sobre todo esa última frase que te hiela la sangre y tal vez te entristezca demasiado.
Que impactante es como la literatura logra provocarnos sensaciones inolvidables, terroríficas y realistas en tan pocas palabras.
Este libro no hizo más que darme cuenta de lo fieras que somos y no nos damos cuenta, de quienes son los que deberíamos estar encerrados. !Que fuerte imagen!
La ilustraciones son un reflejo claro de todo este morbo y cinismo que tenemos los seres humanos. Pero sobre todo esa última frase que te hiela la sangre y tal vez te entristezca demasiado.
February 8, 2013
I just don't like this book. But maybe that's good?
I would actually argue that this is one of the most dystopian picturebooks I have ever read and it's unsettling.
It's a wonderful critique of zoos and of the way that people treat animals, the way they treat each other, the way they ignore each other and the way that society is as much a zoo (cages and all) as a zoo really is. It also happens to be full of beautiful art juxtaposed with a surreal comic art... brining that dystopia straight to the eyes.
It is surreal.
It is dismal and bleak.
It's comment on people may seem too harsh, and on animals it is also too harsh and humanizing, critical and unjust, and though I resist it - I also ask, is it really as extreme as it's first impression?
Something I do admire is it's comment on consumerism. It's décor resembling a bar-code and it being a commercial item. I think that that is one thing that it truly embodies and imbibes throughout.
I still do recommend that children read this book and form their own opinion, and that adults let them and that adults discuss with them and that you all realise things aren't as bleak as they appear in this text.
What do you think?
I would actually argue that this is one of the most dystopian picturebooks I have ever read and it's unsettling.
It's a wonderful critique of zoos and of the way that people treat animals, the way they treat each other, the way they ignore each other and the way that society is as much a zoo (cages and all) as a zoo really is. It also happens to be full of beautiful art juxtaposed with a surreal comic art... brining that dystopia straight to the eyes.
It is surreal.
It is dismal and bleak.
It's comment on people may seem too harsh, and on animals it is also too harsh and humanizing, critical and unjust, and though I resist it - I also ask, is it really as extreme as it's first impression?
Something I do admire is it's comment on consumerism. It's décor resembling a bar-code and it being a commercial item. I think that that is one thing that it truly embodies and imbibes throughout.
I still do recommend that children read this book and form their own opinion, and that adults let them and that adults discuss with them and that you all realise things aren't as bleak as they appear in this text.
What do you think?
May 8, 2024
Definitivamente no me esperaba que esté libro fuera un golpe tan duro.
September 20, 2017
In ‘Zoo’, a family of two boys and a mother and father visit the zoo. Having read other books by Anthony Browne, I already had an expectation of how the father would be portrayed in this book. Indeed, as every page turned it became increasingly evident that both the Dad’s and the two boy’s behaviours had gorilla characteristics and their behaviour towards each other was questionable. Personally, if I were to share this book in a read aloud session with younger year groups I would try and ensure we had time to discuss some of the issues this book highlights as I think the ‘messages’ we can draw from it are important to discuss.
The illustrations are colourful, yet reflective of a child’s perspective and switch from being boxed in to being whole page spreads. Indeed at times, the reader may be unsure as to who is actually in the cage. For example, when visiting the baboons, the two boys start fighting and the mother comments that the baboons remind her of someone whilst the image shows us the boys and the mother seemingly closed in behind the barbed wiring of a cage. I think this book along with Browne’s ‘Piggybook’ would both be good to partner and look at in a class about behaviour and being kind to each other.
The illustrations are colourful, yet reflective of a child’s perspective and switch from being boxed in to being whole page spreads. Indeed at times, the reader may be unsure as to who is actually in the cage. For example, when visiting the baboons, the two boys start fighting and the mother comments that the baboons remind her of someone whilst the image shows us the boys and the mother seemingly closed in behind the barbed wiring of a cage. I think this book along with Browne’s ‘Piggybook’ would both be good to partner and look at in a class about behaviour and being kind to each other.
October 23, 2019
I used this book in a year 4 class when we were doing a debate based on keeping animals in a zoo or in the wild. It helped children to see photos and what it is like for an animal!
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March 21, 2018Review of ‘Zoo’ by Anthony Browne
‘Zoo’ is a story that takes the reader on a journey through the zoo with a family. Along the way, different animals are presented and the children’s views on the animals are provided. If a child were to read Browne’s ‘Zoo’ they would firstly need to know what a zoo is. It would be beneficial if they understood what a family is, since that is what is introduced on the first page. It would also be useful if they knew which animals were typically found in a zoo and how they usually act in their natural habitat. This would be beneficial because they could then compare the ways in which they believe animals act in the wild with the way they are acting in their zoo enclosures.
The colours along the journey are fairly bright, however, there is a consistent juxtaposition between the colours on the verso -which is where the humans are repeatedly situated- and the animals in captivity on the recto. The clothes that the humans are wearing contribute to the bright colours on the verso. Some of the clothes could be perceived as a representation of the way that humans mistreat animals for our benefit. For example, some characters are wearing leopard print coats and tiger printed trousers, suggesting that zoos are not the only way in which we unnecessarily maltreat animals.
The framing of the images on the verso are almost television like, creating the idea of a screen. This separates the reader from the characters and allows them to be observed. This could encourage them to notice how their facial expressions and their perceptions of the zoo change as the story progresses. Whereas, the images on the recto are far larger. Although they are not quite full bleed, it encourages the reader to feel as if they are enclosed in the cage with the animals. The animal’s faces are mostly hidden. On the rare occasion that they are exposed, they are expressing sad or distressed emotions. The inability to see the animal’s faces is an effective method used by illustrators that encourages the readers to subconsciously experience what the animals experience e.g. negative emotions.
On numerous pages, some of the human characters have animal features e.g. pig heads or antlers. This could be the illustrator’s way of suggesting that humans are no different to animals. This could pose questions such as, why is it believed to be acceptable for animals to be held in cages for human entertainment? The idea that humans and animals are the same is once again emphasised at the very end of the story. One of the children is sat on his bedroom floor and the shadow of his window has created bar like images. The reader is also looking down at the boy, suggesting that once something is behind bars, be it animals or humans, they are powerless and are belittled. Once he is in a similar circumstance to the animals, his face is also hidden, once again encouraging the reader to feel how he is feeling. The position in which he is sitting also mirrors the way one of the monkeys was sitting previously in the book, emphasising how similar we all are.
‘Zoo’ is a story that takes the reader on a journey through the zoo with a family. Along the way, different animals are presented and the children’s views on the animals are provided. If a child were to read Browne’s ‘Zoo’ they would firstly need to know what a zoo is. It would be beneficial if they understood what a family is, since that is what is introduced on the first page. It would also be useful if they knew which animals were typically found in a zoo and how they usually act in their natural habitat. This would be beneficial because they could then compare the ways in which they believe animals act in the wild with the way they are acting in their zoo enclosures.
The colours along the journey are fairly bright, however, there is a consistent juxtaposition between the colours on the verso -which is where the humans are repeatedly situated- and the animals in captivity on the recto. The clothes that the humans are wearing contribute to the bright colours on the verso. Some of the clothes could be perceived as a representation of the way that humans mistreat animals for our benefit. For example, some characters are wearing leopard print coats and tiger printed trousers, suggesting that zoos are not the only way in which we unnecessarily maltreat animals.
The framing of the images on the verso are almost television like, creating the idea of a screen. This separates the reader from the characters and allows them to be observed. This could encourage them to notice how their facial expressions and their perceptions of the zoo change as the story progresses. Whereas, the images on the recto are far larger. Although they are not quite full bleed, it encourages the reader to feel as if they are enclosed in the cage with the animals. The animal’s faces are mostly hidden. On the rare occasion that they are exposed, they are expressing sad or distressed emotions. The inability to see the animal’s faces is an effective method used by illustrators that encourages the readers to subconsciously experience what the animals experience e.g. negative emotions.
On numerous pages, some of the human characters have animal features e.g. pig heads or antlers. This could be the illustrator’s way of suggesting that humans are no different to animals. This could pose questions such as, why is it believed to be acceptable for animals to be held in cages for human entertainment? The idea that humans and animals are the same is once again emphasised at the very end of the story. One of the children is sat on his bedroom floor and the shadow of his window has created bar like images. The reader is also looking down at the boy, suggesting that once something is behind bars, be it animals or humans, they are powerless and are belittled. Once he is in a similar circumstance to the animals, his face is also hidden, once again encouraging the reader to feel how he is feeling. The position in which he is sitting also mirrors the way one of the monkeys was sitting previously in the book, emphasising how similar we all are.
September 18, 2012
Review:
A boy goes to the Zoo with his Mum, Dad and brother, where they see a variety of animals and enjoy the delights of the zoo. Poor old mum has to endure Dad’s bad jokes and her two cheeky monkeys messing about, but they all have a good day in the end.
The story doesn’t just concentrate on the animals in the zoo; it also talks about the family and has a few jokes, which gives it a different feel to your usual children’s story. The family on first appearance seem like a classic family, with the archetypes firmly in place. However this is a contemporary family, the characters are easily recognizable with people we could know, which give it a warm familiar quality. The protagonist himself is a character that is easily identifiable to primary school children and shows a realistic quality through the fact that children do misbehave!
The book mostly seems to be a commentary of a normal family going to the zoo and shows no overtly obvious life lessons or guidance other than the comparisons of the characters in the story to the animals in the zoo. This is recognized by the protagonist when he dreams of swapping places with the animals in the zoo and he ponders about the reams of animals. This could instigate curiosity and is a good way to see things from another point of view.
It has very good illustrations which complement the story nicely, adding to the sense of humor within. The front cover isn’t particularly bright but the wavy lines, bold simple title and family picture still make it look intriguing and hint at the slightly unusual story within.
Children’s Literacy:
It would be good for guided reading from around years 3+ as it is interesting and has a good mix of words.
This book would be good for reading to the whole class from year 2 + and can be used as a good talking point. It can be used to ask the children to remember certain aspects of the book, such as what animals they saw and in what order. They could also use the pictures to interpret what is happening in the story and perhaps use that as a starting point to create their own stories.
A boy goes to the Zoo with his Mum, Dad and brother, where they see a variety of animals and enjoy the delights of the zoo. Poor old mum has to endure Dad’s bad jokes and her two cheeky monkeys messing about, but they all have a good day in the end.
The story doesn’t just concentrate on the animals in the zoo; it also talks about the family and has a few jokes, which gives it a different feel to your usual children’s story. The family on first appearance seem like a classic family, with the archetypes firmly in place. However this is a contemporary family, the characters are easily recognizable with people we could know, which give it a warm familiar quality. The protagonist himself is a character that is easily identifiable to primary school children and shows a realistic quality through the fact that children do misbehave!
The book mostly seems to be a commentary of a normal family going to the zoo and shows no overtly obvious life lessons or guidance other than the comparisons of the characters in the story to the animals in the zoo. This is recognized by the protagonist when he dreams of swapping places with the animals in the zoo and he ponders about the reams of animals. This could instigate curiosity and is a good way to see things from another point of view.
It has very good illustrations which complement the story nicely, adding to the sense of humor within. The front cover isn’t particularly bright but the wavy lines, bold simple title and family picture still make it look intriguing and hint at the slightly unusual story within.
Children’s Literacy:
It would be good for guided reading from around years 3+ as it is interesting and has a good mix of words.
This book would be good for reading to the whole class from year 2 + and can be used as a good talking point. It can be used to ask the children to remember certain aspects of the book, such as what animals they saw and in what order. They could also use the pictures to interpret what is happening in the story and perhaps use that as a starting point to create their own stories.
October 2, 2013
Zoo by Anthony Browne is a picture book that tells the story of a tedious family trip to the zoo. The story is told from the perspective of the older brother who visits the zoo with his younger brother and parents. The illustrations are all framed by white space. The text is placed in the white space on the bottom half of the page.
Framed images of the family members and text are on the left side of the page, while the larger images of the animals are on the right. The illustrations of the animals in their cages and exhibits are framed in bold black, while the illustrations of the family members are framed in a thinner border and in lighter hues. The illustrations themselves are bright and vibrant. Browne uses the continuous motif of vertical lines and bars to depict the feelings of isolation and confinement. This is evident in the image of the boy sitting on the floor with his head down and the shadows of vertical bars upon him.
The illustrations and the text depicts a father who seems to have power over the family betters. It is present both in the language of the father, as well as in the images in the book. For example, in one image the father seems to be looking down at the viewer and clouds in the shape of horns are behind his head. In the white space below the illustration we see the words, "Because I say so". This is clear message he has dominance over the other family members. In each frame the father appears to be larger than everyone else. Only in the image of the gorilla do we see a image done larger than the father. Implying the gorilla is the king of the zoo.
Framed images of the family members and text are on the left side of the page, while the larger images of the animals are on the right. The illustrations of the animals in their cages and exhibits are framed in bold black, while the illustrations of the family members are framed in a thinner border and in lighter hues. The illustrations themselves are bright and vibrant. Browne uses the continuous motif of vertical lines and bars to depict the feelings of isolation and confinement. This is evident in the image of the boy sitting on the floor with his head down and the shadows of vertical bars upon him.
The illustrations and the text depicts a father who seems to have power over the family betters. It is present both in the language of the father, as well as in the images in the book. For example, in one image the father seems to be looking down at the viewer and clouds in the shape of horns are behind his head. In the white space below the illustration we see the words, "Because I say so". This is clear message he has dominance over the other family members. In each frame the father appears to be larger than everyone else. Only in the image of the gorilla do we see a image done larger than the father. Implying the gorilla is the king of the zoo.
November 27, 2016
Zoo is the story of a family’s trip to the Zoo. It is interesting to read about the family dynamics and I feel most children and adults can relate to the characters in the book. From the boys fighting, the Dad telling terrible jokes to the Mum being embarrassed by them all. As the story progresses you understand the underlying theme, which is actually about a role reversal with the people outside the cages being the animals. This is enforced by the use of pictures, with the children wearing monkey caps and also members of the public having animal features.
This age range for this book is 8-12 with Children younger than 8 accessing the book via the great Illustrations and older Children being able to understand the real story. Older children can understand the theme from the text but younger children may need to be shown the pictures and maybe asked, ‘what is unusual about this picture?’
A memorable quote of the book is ‘Everyone laughed except Mum and Harry and me’ which does a great job describing the only person to laugh was Dad.
The book ends with the main character ‘Me’ saying, ‘That night I had a strange dream. Do you think animals have dreams?’ This is a great question to start a discussion with the class and also it could be used in Literacy with the words being omitted from the story and the Children using the illustrations as inspiration for their own text for the story.
I enjoyed the book as it has great illustrations, the topic it covers and also because it makes children think about our relationship with animals.
This age range for this book is 8-12 with Children younger than 8 accessing the book via the great Illustrations and older Children being able to understand the real story. Older children can understand the theme from the text but younger children may need to be shown the pictures and maybe asked, ‘what is unusual about this picture?’
A memorable quote of the book is ‘Everyone laughed except Mum and Harry and me’ which does a great job describing the only person to laugh was Dad.
The book ends with the main character ‘Me’ saying, ‘That night I had a strange dream. Do you think animals have dreams?’ This is a great question to start a discussion with the class and also it could be used in Literacy with the words being omitted from the story and the Children using the illustrations as inspiration for their own text for the story.
I enjoyed the book as it has great illustrations, the topic it covers and also because it makes children think about our relationship with animals.
November 13, 2012
In the book Zoo, it was interesting to me because it appeared to me that the family in the story were being portrayed as the animals and the zoo animals were more human like. The dad to me represented a Gorilla, the two boys reminded me of monkey's and the mom reminded me of a baboon. The sons were constantly fighting, the dad was mostly crude and loud throughout the story. The author also hid a lot of images or animals and prints within the illustrations. I liked how he went about his story and portrayed the family as the "zoo" rather than the actual animals. Students who are younger than third or fourth grade may not understand the hidden meanings behind Anthony Browne's book, because they may not have the comprehension that they need at that point.
March 13, 2021
Like a wonderful painting that reveals more to you each time you read it. Zoo looks at the sorrow of some animals in captivity as well as the animal-like tendencies in some families. The book contains a couple of great belly laughing moments that we shared in class as well as some truly sad imagery such as the tiger pacing it’s cage and the back of the gorilla huddled in the corner. In class we had in depth discussions on animal feelings and our own feelings. We were also able to combine many lessons together, science (habitats), literacy and maths. As well as finding some live cams from zoos. The illustrations are fantastic, lots of hidden gems and lots of great talking points. There is also a good reading of the book on you tube. Read every day this week!
January 19, 2021
This was a unique picture book. I didn't particularly enjoy it but I do believe it is picture book that should be read. I appreciate that the book critiques zoos for how they are realistically. I did enjoy the illustrations I found them to be distinctive and stark.
There are dark undertones as well, the main family of the story seems dysfunctional (the father appears to be possessive and the mother looks very depressed). I think my conflict with this book is I'm not sure if young children would catch the purpose of this story. But, I think older children may be able learn from it.
There are dark undertones as well, the main family of the story seems dysfunctional (the father appears to be possessive and the mother looks very depressed). I think my conflict with this book is I'm not sure if young children would catch the purpose of this story. But, I think older children may be able learn from it.
January 13, 2026
oklar målgrupp, ganska freaky
October 29, 2013
“Zoo” by Anthony Browne is a story about a family of four, a mom, dad and two sons taking a trip to the zoo. However, there were many underlying messages behind the entire story. While reading the narrative, it gave me a very interesting, yet odd feeling. It felt a little hostile to be completely honest. The cover of the book is zebra stripped with a frame (which sort of looks like a polaroid) around a portrait of the family. The two boys are smiling and leaning out of the frame, while the dad has a, what feels like a forced smile, on his face and the mom is just standing in the background with a blank face. Just by the cover of the book you can already tell how the dynamics of this family works. The end pages are solid colors, one black and the other white. The title page was very intriguing to me. It is of a hamster in its little cage on a white background, and in bold the word “ZOO” right above it. The reason why I thought this page was interesting is because the hamster, like the zoo animals in the story is caged up. The mom in the story makes a comment “I don’t think the zoo really is for animals…I think it’s for people”, meaning the animals are forced to be there, like they are trapped, like the hamster is, and sort of how the main character is. At the end of the story, the main character is sitting with his head in between his legs and the shadow of the window creates the look of a cage.
The narratives point of view was told through the eldest child’s voice whose name was never mentioned. The tone of the book, for me, was sort of uneasy. The father character played the dominant role, and was very temperamental and sarcastic. He would “go off” on the oldest son a lot over the duration of the story, and loose his cool on small happenings caused by his surroundings. For example, he had road rage, argued with the ticket booth person and always had a snarling remark about what his family members were doing. One of the evident examples of the narrator having some issues with the father was whenever the dad made a joke; no one would laugh or think it was funny while the dad laughed till tears. This revealed a little bit of tension within the family setting the mood as uneasy. The main character and his younger brother, Harry, had a typical brotherly relationship, always rough housing and getting on each other’s nerves but causing the father to step in and give a piece of his mind about the tiffs . As for the mother, she was in the background most of the time very seldom did she ever speak, but when she did it was always in a calm manner. Her character was very withdrawn, very to herself and always in the background.
The illustrations in the story were creative. All of the illustrations were bordered and framed. On the first page of the book, there are four separate frames, holding a portrait of each individual family member. In this illustration you can already see the unique personalities behind each of them. The narrator has a slight smile, his brother is smiling, but not with teeth, indicating almost meaningless smile. As for the father, he looked like he was forced to take the picture and like he was caught in the middle of saying something. The mother looks monotone, with a blank stare and miserable. One of the illustrations is a close up from the shoulders up of the dad. The point of view of this picture is like the viewer is looking up at him and the clouds in the background are formed to be horns on his head. Along with the narration conveying that the dad is the “bad guy” this picture closes the case. I also found it interesting that in all of the pictures of the animals, none of them face the viewer or made eye contact. The only animal that we had a clear descriptive picture of is the gorilla. It had a full page dedicated to it and the eyes were fixated on the page prior to its which was of the dad imitating the gorilla.
All in all, the story was good, but the hostility towards the father character was a little eerie.
The narratives point of view was told through the eldest child’s voice whose name was never mentioned. The tone of the book, for me, was sort of uneasy. The father character played the dominant role, and was very temperamental and sarcastic. He would “go off” on the oldest son a lot over the duration of the story, and loose his cool on small happenings caused by his surroundings. For example, he had road rage, argued with the ticket booth person and always had a snarling remark about what his family members were doing. One of the evident examples of the narrator having some issues with the father was whenever the dad made a joke; no one would laugh or think it was funny while the dad laughed till tears. This revealed a little bit of tension within the family setting the mood as uneasy. The main character and his younger brother, Harry, had a typical brotherly relationship, always rough housing and getting on each other’s nerves but causing the father to step in and give a piece of his mind about the tiffs . As for the mother, she was in the background most of the time very seldom did she ever speak, but when she did it was always in a calm manner. Her character was very withdrawn, very to herself and always in the background.
The illustrations in the story were creative. All of the illustrations were bordered and framed. On the first page of the book, there are four separate frames, holding a portrait of each individual family member. In this illustration you can already see the unique personalities behind each of them. The narrator has a slight smile, his brother is smiling, but not with teeth, indicating almost meaningless smile. As for the father, he looked like he was forced to take the picture and like he was caught in the middle of saying something. The mother looks monotone, with a blank stare and miserable. One of the illustrations is a close up from the shoulders up of the dad. The point of view of this picture is like the viewer is looking up at him and the clouds in the background are formed to be horns on his head. Along with the narration conveying that the dad is the “bad guy” this picture closes the case. I also found it interesting that in all of the pictures of the animals, none of them face the viewer or made eye contact. The only animal that we had a clear descriptive picture of is the gorilla. It had a full page dedicated to it and the eyes were fixated on the page prior to its which was of the dad imitating the gorilla.
All in all, the story was good, but the hostility towards the father character was a little eerie.
November 6, 2019
The illustrations in this book allow for many inferences to be made! A lovely book to use with KS2 to develop their picture reading skills!
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October 30, 2019This book is definitely interesting. The cover really catches your eye with the dark black and white painting almost resembles a zebra. I like other browne's books better than this one, but I still like to read this piece of literature too.
September 17, 2011
“Zoo” by Anthony Browne by is really a sad picture book about going to the zoo with your family. A boy is telling the story through his perspective by reading the text but I think if you were to look at the pictures, you can see many different perspectives taken place in the book. It starts of with a each member of the family has their own portrait; similar to “Willy’s Pictures”. By looking at their facial expressions you can feel through personality coming through the pictures. The first one I noticed was the dad with a stern look on his face. Then the boy, who is the narrator, is in a calm manner while his brother is smiling a fake smile and his mother looking really sad. It’s a story about how a family goes to the zoo and when the boy who goes to sleep at night remembers a dream that he was behind bars, trapped, maybe living a life he didn’t want to. He pondered if animals could have dreams like him. The character made a connection to the animals because he feels the same way as the animals.
Throughout the story the text explains what is happening in the picture and there are texts also in pictures representing mostly what the father says. Right away, you can see that the father doesn’t want to be there and the mother is not saying a thing. I can tell she’s unhappy by looking at the pictures because she never smiles. The mother doesn’t say anything when her husband is being rude, or obnoxious. The boy can sense that his father is being mean to other people and disrespectful towards the others. Children feel as though embarrassing which I think a lot of students can relate to this. I know I related it back to my childhood. Sometimes my father wasn’t always so positive all the time and wanted things done his way. I feel like this father expresses the same thing, he wants things done his life and will put up with stuff but complain about it. Not only are the characters are struggling, but also the animals. In every picture, the animals were never looking directly at the crowd. They were represented as busy, or looking sad. When they showed the gorilla in the story, the picture was cut into 4 pieces. I found this interesting because it was like a magnifying glass where you can truly see the emotion within the gorilla and how sad he felt. The last page is really heartbreaking because you understand why the boy is behind bars. He’s unhappy with how his father treats him, he’s probably sad by how sad his mother feels, and he feels the pressure to be good all the time because he’s the oldest. His father is harder on him then on his little brother. A lot of children go through this as well, if they are the eldest child.
Even though it made me ponder about certain things about the characters in the book and an overall sadness took place in my mind, I would read this book to my future class. I think it’s a great book for discussion. Not only about family life, but about how the animals feel. It’s easy to forget about animals and know that they have feelings too. I think it would also be a good rich discussion about how we should treat each other, not only family but people in the classroom.
Throughout the story the text explains what is happening in the picture and there are texts also in pictures representing mostly what the father says. Right away, you can see that the father doesn’t want to be there and the mother is not saying a thing. I can tell she’s unhappy by looking at the pictures because she never smiles. The mother doesn’t say anything when her husband is being rude, or obnoxious. The boy can sense that his father is being mean to other people and disrespectful towards the others. Children feel as though embarrassing which I think a lot of students can relate to this. I know I related it back to my childhood. Sometimes my father wasn’t always so positive all the time and wanted things done his way. I feel like this father expresses the same thing, he wants things done his life and will put up with stuff but complain about it. Not only are the characters are struggling, but also the animals. In every picture, the animals were never looking directly at the crowd. They were represented as busy, or looking sad. When they showed the gorilla in the story, the picture was cut into 4 pieces. I found this interesting because it was like a magnifying glass where you can truly see the emotion within the gorilla and how sad he felt. The last page is really heartbreaking because you understand why the boy is behind bars. He’s unhappy with how his father treats him, he’s probably sad by how sad his mother feels, and he feels the pressure to be good all the time because he’s the oldest. His father is harder on him then on his little brother. A lot of children go through this as well, if they are the eldest child.
Even though it made me ponder about certain things about the characters in the book and an overall sadness took place in my mind, I would read this book to my future class. I think it’s a great book for discussion. Not only about family life, but about how the animals feel. It’s easy to forget about animals and know that they have feelings too. I think it would also be a good rich discussion about how we should treat each other, not only family but people in the classroom.
April 15, 2018
I have read many children books with a zoo theme. A visit to the zoo is almost always a fun experience, the animals are awesome, the family has a great time discussing and admiring the beauties of the God's creations. But this book is different from the rest. The visit to the zoo was lousy, and it sounds more like one of those ordinary, nothing-great visits to the zoo experienced probably by too many families from time to time.
The interaction of the family members feels real without any need to disguise. The animals look bored behind cages and fences. Many of them hid their faces or turned away from the visitors. The orang utan crouched in corner with its back facing the visitors, the tiny penguins wandered far away from the visitors and doesn't look as cute as expected.
I love this book because it is different. I think the illustrations are terrific. They convey a mixture of emotions: funny, sad, silly, angry, gloomy. The "laughing daddy face" is very realistically "ugly" with big nostrils and round double-chin. The crouching orang-utan was full of unspoken emotions even though we couldn't see its face. The gorilla painting is purely beautiful.
The daddy is an "embarrassing" character who attempted to cheat for a half-price ticket and had a row with the ticket booth's man. He told "unfunny" jokes, made really embarrassing impersonation in public, told his children off, in bad moods from time to time. The mummy was the gloomy kind, rarely smiled, looked trapped and unhappy. They are not the typical daddy and mummy we read in most young children picture books targeting at smaller kids.
The kids fought, more interested in lunch and souvenirs than the animals, found their daddy embarrassing, and didn't bother to laugh at the daddy's attempted jokes. The family's dynamic feels troubling, but so blatantly true at the same time. The ending makes us pause and think about the relationship between animals and human beings, and the ethical questions surrounding a zoo environment.
I doubt 22-month old little-AJ is thinking much about any of the above issues, but he thoroughly enjoys this book and has requested this to be read and re-read many times.
Blog review here: https://storypleasemummy.wordpress.co...
The interaction of the family members feels real without any need to disguise. The animals look bored behind cages and fences. Many of them hid their faces or turned away from the visitors. The orang utan crouched in corner with its back facing the visitors, the tiny penguins wandered far away from the visitors and doesn't look as cute as expected.
I love this book because it is different. I think the illustrations are terrific. They convey a mixture of emotions: funny, sad, silly, angry, gloomy. The "laughing daddy face" is very realistically "ugly" with big nostrils and round double-chin. The crouching orang-utan was full of unspoken emotions even though we couldn't see its face. The gorilla painting is purely beautiful.
The daddy is an "embarrassing" character who attempted to cheat for a half-price ticket and had a row with the ticket booth's man. He told "unfunny" jokes, made really embarrassing impersonation in public, told his children off, in bad moods from time to time. The mummy was the gloomy kind, rarely smiled, looked trapped and unhappy. They are not the typical daddy and mummy we read in most young children picture books targeting at smaller kids.
The kids fought, more interested in lunch and souvenirs than the animals, found their daddy embarrassing, and didn't bother to laugh at the daddy's attempted jokes. The family's dynamic feels troubling, but so blatantly true at the same time. The ending makes us pause and think about the relationship between animals and human beings, and the ethical questions surrounding a zoo environment.
I doubt 22-month old little-AJ is thinking much about any of the above issues, but he thoroughly enjoys this book and has requested this to be read and re-read many times.
Blog review here: https://storypleasemummy.wordpress.co...
October 21, 2020
Bonito cuento para motivar al público infantil a escribir sobre sus experiencias y además analizar las actitudes de las personas.
September 19, 2014
Zoo
The book Zoo is a thought provoking and reflective piece of art. Anthony Browne creates the oppressive setting and mood in this story through illustrations and dialogue. The story is framed with the introduction a seemingly average family of four. When the read is first introduced to the family, the lack of emotion and happiness is apparent is the two parents who stand in the picture with pictures that look like mug shots. The mother’s face is noticeably stoic whereas the father’s face is smug and disconnected. The dynamics of this “average” family are clearly unveiled through the dialogue exchanged between the two parents and boys. Quotes like “Come DOWN you little brat!” almost made me cringe as the recreational outing was tainted by negative attitudes and perspectives. Then the reader sees the first illustration of a zoo animal. The framed half page illustration depicts a lonely elephant in an empty, colorless room standing near its own feces. The way the young boys describe the experience makes your heart ache for the poor elephant that is unappreciated and disrespected daily by zoo goers. The reader learns a lot about the family by reading their reactions to the different animals and looking at Browne’s illustrations of them. In particular, there is a picture looking up at a dominating father who happens to have two clouds shaped like horns on his head. Although this is the vision I already constructed through his interactions and comments with his family and wildlife, Anthony Browne makes the character’s personality clear. As the family makes their way through the zoo, the reader see enclosures of animals who are in dirty and colorless environments being gawked at by ungrateful viewers. A powerful picture of a gorilla that consists of 4 framed parts captured the pain and domestic features of a gorilla’s face. The point of the story is driven home when Anthony Browne illustrates the young boy’s dream of being in captivity. This powerful message clearly depicts Anthony Browne’s ideology towards zoos and effectively alters the reader’s ideology also.
The book Zoo is a thought provoking and reflective piece of art. Anthony Browne creates the oppressive setting and mood in this story through illustrations and dialogue. The story is framed with the introduction a seemingly average family of four. When the read is first introduced to the family, the lack of emotion and happiness is apparent is the two parents who stand in the picture with pictures that look like mug shots. The mother’s face is noticeably stoic whereas the father’s face is smug and disconnected. The dynamics of this “average” family are clearly unveiled through the dialogue exchanged between the two parents and boys. Quotes like “Come DOWN you little brat!” almost made me cringe as the recreational outing was tainted by negative attitudes and perspectives. Then the reader sees the first illustration of a zoo animal. The framed half page illustration depicts a lonely elephant in an empty, colorless room standing near its own feces. The way the young boys describe the experience makes your heart ache for the poor elephant that is unappreciated and disrespected daily by zoo goers. The reader learns a lot about the family by reading their reactions to the different animals and looking at Browne’s illustrations of them. In particular, there is a picture looking up at a dominating father who happens to have two clouds shaped like horns on his head. Although this is the vision I already constructed through his interactions and comments with his family and wildlife, Anthony Browne makes the character’s personality clear. As the family makes their way through the zoo, the reader see enclosures of animals who are in dirty and colorless environments being gawked at by ungrateful viewers. A powerful picture of a gorilla that consists of 4 framed parts captured the pain and domestic features of a gorilla’s face. The point of the story is driven home when Anthony Browne illustrates the young boy’s dream of being in captivity. This powerful message clearly depicts Anthony Browne’s ideology towards zoos and effectively alters the reader’s ideology also.
September 23, 2015
Zoo by Anthony Browne is a story about a family’s trip to the zoo with an underlying theme that becomes evident throughout the story as it progresses.
The orientation of this book is a vertically orientated picturebook. The main title page is black and white which portrays the image of a zebra. The end papers in the front and back are also solid colors of white and black which also tries to portray the image of a zebra. A panel is used in the title page to portray the family and again black and white are used to symbolize the zebra. The use of the large capitalized font ZOO emphasizes the story and strives to capture the readers’ attention. In the front picture, the mom does not seem happy and the dad is in most of the picture which may indicate superiority or dominance. Author uses thinking clouds to convey characters dialogue and feelings aside from the narrator in the story. Author also depicts people like animals. For example a man has the face of a cheetah, man has small horns, man has sharp long beak like a bird, and woman has the foot of a reptile. People are also depicted as wearing clothes that look like animal fur. Author mainly shows animals in isolation to where you cannot really see them. The panels and borders used throughout the text allow readers to see people and characters from zoo animals’ perspective and to see animals through the characters perspective. Author depicts motion and uses color interestingly. Giraffes are camouflaged to the buildings and the tree looks like giraffes. The use of lines for the tiger symbolizes imprisonment. The text also provides a tiny glimpse of the sky and clouds. Colors set mood and tone of story and give off a depressed feeling. In most of the panels the dad does not fit in frame and depicts the dad having hair everywhere and is the only person who finds his jokes as funny. The characters in the story are not very enthusiastic about the zoo and the animals. I like the ending of the book because it leaves room for interpretation. The way I interpreted the images were dreams of freedom for animals that are in cages and isolation in zoos and the birds also symbolize freedom.
The orientation of this book is a vertically orientated picturebook. The main title page is black and white which portrays the image of a zebra. The end papers in the front and back are also solid colors of white and black which also tries to portray the image of a zebra. A panel is used in the title page to portray the family and again black and white are used to symbolize the zebra. The use of the large capitalized font ZOO emphasizes the story and strives to capture the readers’ attention. In the front picture, the mom does not seem happy and the dad is in most of the picture which may indicate superiority or dominance. Author uses thinking clouds to convey characters dialogue and feelings aside from the narrator in the story. Author also depicts people like animals. For example a man has the face of a cheetah, man has small horns, man has sharp long beak like a bird, and woman has the foot of a reptile. People are also depicted as wearing clothes that look like animal fur. Author mainly shows animals in isolation to where you cannot really see them. The panels and borders used throughout the text allow readers to see people and characters from zoo animals’ perspective and to see animals through the characters perspective. Author depicts motion and uses color interestingly. Giraffes are camouflaged to the buildings and the tree looks like giraffes. The use of lines for the tiger symbolizes imprisonment. The text also provides a tiny glimpse of the sky and clouds. Colors set mood and tone of story and give off a depressed feeling. In most of the panels the dad does not fit in frame and depicts the dad having hair everywhere and is the only person who finds his jokes as funny. The characters in the story are not very enthusiastic about the zoo and the animals. I like the ending of the book because it leaves room for interpretation. The way I interpreted the images were dreams of freedom for animals that are in cages and isolation in zoos and the birds also symbolize freedom.
April 30, 2014
The book, Zoo, written and illustrated by Anthony Brownie tells the story of a family who spends the day at the Zoo. Something I really enjoyed about this particular children’s book was that it introduces the characters on the first page with their name and portrait. This way the students can immediately recognize the characters throughout the story. This book has quite a lot of text from an author who is known for his illustrations. The pictures throughout the book are well done and include a lot of detail, especially those of the animals and the characters faces. The layout of the book is constant, with a smaller image over the text and a larger image of the animal on the next page. I didn’t really enjoy this text because for a children’s book it has a somewhat dark undertone. The presence of negative attitudes by the characters mirrors the lack of interest the zoo animals express in the illustrations. As a majority of the animals don’t make eye contact with the reader or the characters. The undertone of darkness that intrigued me happened toward the end of the book when the mom said “I don’t think the zoo really is for animals…I think it’s for people” (Brownie 20). Even as an adult I wondered what the Mom meant by this. Maybe she realizes that the Zoo is meant for people to see animals not for the animals to see the people. Overall, I would have this book in my classroom library because it is a thought provoking story on a child’s level. This text could also be tool to prepare my students before a field trip to the Zoo. Or I could use this book to get my students to talk about their own experience visiting the Zoo with their families. Lastly, I could use this book to talk about emotions. In the text each family member goes through their own change in emotions. I could use the illustrations with the text to get my students to realize the change in emotions or just identify the characters different emotions through literary clues.
October 24, 2017
Zoo tells the story of Anthony Browne's own family day trip to the zoo when he was a boy and is told from his perspective. Rather than glorify the zoo, Browne uses his book as a platform to not only make comment on how we treat animals but also how we behave ourselves within society and our own families. The animals are either obscured, blended into their backgrounds or are shown in very stark surroundings. They all look depressed and are hiding or frustrated, hardly a positive endorsement and one which shows how subservient they are within our society.
In contrast, Browne's father is larger than life, obnoxious and inconsiderate and this behaviour seems to have rubbed off on his children, who are equally as unappreciative and non empathetic. I found myself getting more and more frustrated and annoyed with them as the book went on. The father's actions throughout are animal-like: 'snarled', 'roared', 'snorted', 'howled'; he even beats his chest like a gorilla. His mother is depicted more like the caged animals, insignificant and blended into the background to convey the stereotypical power balance within the family.
The people featured in the book are dressed in animal patterned clothing, having animal-like features or in some cases they are physically a bizarre mixture of human and actual animal whilst the animals themselves are drawn in an incredibly life-like and realistic way and Browne really shows off his mastery in his gorilla illustration. This book is an excellent example of the essential role pictures can play in a story as we can infer so much from them.
With a final image of birds flying free above the cages, this is a good book for discussion on human behaviour and for raising questions such as: Do animals feel? How should we be treating them and should they be caged? Who is more civilised, the humans or the animals?
Lots to comment on and in conclusion a very memorable and thought-provoking book.
In contrast, Browne's father is larger than life, obnoxious and inconsiderate and this behaviour seems to have rubbed off on his children, who are equally as unappreciative and non empathetic. I found myself getting more and more frustrated and annoyed with them as the book went on. The father's actions throughout are animal-like: 'snarled', 'roared', 'snorted', 'howled'; he even beats his chest like a gorilla. His mother is depicted more like the caged animals, insignificant and blended into the background to convey the stereotypical power balance within the family.
The people featured in the book are dressed in animal patterned clothing, having animal-like features or in some cases they are physically a bizarre mixture of human and actual animal whilst the animals themselves are drawn in an incredibly life-like and realistic way and Browne really shows off his mastery in his gorilla illustration. This book is an excellent example of the essential role pictures can play in a story as we can infer so much from them.
With a final image of birds flying free above the cages, this is a good book for discussion on human behaviour and for raising questions such as: Do animals feel? How should we be treating them and should they be caged? Who is more civilised, the humans or the animals?
Lots to comment on and in conclusion a very memorable and thought-provoking book.
April 29, 2019
Genre: Contemporary Realistic Fiction
Audience: Ages 6-9
Awards: none
A. I connected with having to go on family trips where you might not necessarily want to be there or someone causes a scene. I also connected with being a sibling and getting in trouble for something you didn't start. The author made a relatable setting of going to the zoo and relatable characters through having a "typical" family.
B. This book was entirely about family relationships. It touches on sibling relationships. It talks about relationships with parents. There are also some behavioral challenges with the siblings fighting. Life within communities is addressed in talking about what is appropriate behavior at the zoo.
C. Analyze who you think had the best behavior and explain why. I think the mom had the best behavior because she was calm and respectful throughout the book. She was not rude and she had acceptable behavior at the zoo.
Audience: Ages 6-9
Awards: none
A. I connected with having to go on family trips where you might not necessarily want to be there or someone causes a scene. I also connected with being a sibling and getting in trouble for something you didn't start. The author made a relatable setting of going to the zoo and relatable characters through having a "typical" family.
B. This book was entirely about family relationships. It touches on sibling relationships. It talks about relationships with parents. There are also some behavioral challenges with the siblings fighting. Life within communities is addressed in talking about what is appropriate behavior at the zoo.
C. Analyze who you think had the best behavior and explain why. I think the mom had the best behavior because she was calm and respectful throughout the book. She was not rude and she had acceptable behavior at the zoo.
February 26, 2012
This book was interesting. It was about a family that went on a trip to the zoo. It was sort of backwards because the dad was acting very childish and the kids were very uninterested and bored. Usually kids are excited to go to the zoo. It was also strange that other than the main family, all the other people in the pictures resembled animals. It made me wonder if the author is trying to show that people are crazy like animals too. Or maybe that the animals in the cages see us the same way from their side. The zoo was very dull and industrialized looking. The book ended with the main boy in a cage and it said, "I wonder if animals dream?". It really got me thinking whether the whole book was about one of the animals dreams or if it really happened.
March 6, 2012
Anthony Browne's "Zoo" is a fun read. I was previously unfamiliar with this book but I'm glad I came across it. Browne's dry sense of humor and wittiness are quite evident throughout this book. When a somewhat dysfunctional family visits the zoo, there are sure to be arguments, embarrassments, and laughs. "Zoo" includes impressive and realistic illustrations of the zoo animals. A closing comment made by the mother is, "I don't think the zoo is really for animals...I think it's for people!" Children may not understand the message Anthony Browne is sending through this book (humans aren't too far off from animals), but either way they are still likely to thoroughly enjoy this fun children's book and its colorful illustrations.
February 25, 2014
While ultimately a children's picture book, like many of Anthony Browne's books, this is not just for kids. Zoo is the story of a family visit to the zoo. However the slightly over-bearing father and two selfish kids are entertained more by bad jokes, funny hats and the food than they are by the animals. The pictures, however, contain messages about the treatment of animals and their lack of freedom. Unhappy animals in alien environments are pictured opposite the family and their silly behaviours. Whilst I do not see zoos in such a negative light, the message is powerful and worthy of discussion.
At school we have looked at this as a persuasive text, but I would also include it in a visual literacy unit.
At school we have looked at this as a persuasive text, but I would also include it in a visual literacy unit.
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March 17, 2014In the book zoo, I think that there were so many things that caught my eye when examining the book at first. Initially, I enjoyed the realistic pictures of the family going to the zoo, as well as the talk bubbles above the different characters. It allowed for my eye to scan the page and be excited, and it continued to hold my attention. The colors were also realistic, making it feel like I was more involved in the story. There were some borders on the pages, but some of the pages where the animals were displayed, there were not, making me feel like I was really standing on the side of the cage looking into the penguins, giraffes, etc. From the colors to the relate ability of the voice the author used, I think that Zoo by Anthony Browne is a very well written and illustrated book.
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