28 Mar, 2024

At the Zoo

32 mins read
Picture Books 
  • Board BooksDurable titles on sturdy pages designed for little hands that introduce the zoo and favorite zoo animals. 
  • Picture BooksA selection of picture books for all ages with different zoo adventures. 
  • World Language MaterialsA selection of picture books for all ages in various languages. 
  • Children’s NonfictionA selection of titles exploring animals at the zoo, visiting the zoo, and zookeepers designed for younger readers. 
  • Theme BackpacksHost a storytime at home using these backpacks, which include books, manipulatives, and other resources related to a particular theme.
  • LaunchpadsPre-loaded tablets with games and educational activities to help young learners explore zoo animals. 
  • DVDsA selection of DVDs related to zoos and zoo animals. Many titles are based on picture books. 
  • eContentElectronic books, audiobooks, free streaming videos, and similar resources related to the zoo. 

Scroll to the bottom of the page to print this list or head back to our #MoreThanBooks Recommendations List

Wild About Us! by Karen Beaumont

From Elephant’s long nose to Kangaroo’s huge feet to Monkey’s stick-out ears, everyone is worth celebrating, no matter what they look like.

How Big is an Elephant? by Rossana Bossù

This book is a fresh approach to teaching ratio and relative size using zoo animals.

Peek-a-Boo Zoo! by Jane Cabrera

Rhyming text and pages with cut outs allow readers to explore which animals call the zoo home.

Dear Zoo by Rod Campbell

Each animal arriving from the zoo as a possible pet fails to suite its prospective owner, until just the right one is found. Movable flaps reveal the contents of each package.

1, 2, 3 to the Zoo by Eric Carle

Each car on the train has one more zoo animal than the one before, from the first car with an elephant to the last with ten birds.

What’s New at the Zoo? by Betty Comden

Presents the lyrics to a song from the Broadway musical, “Do Re Mi,” in which the animals in an overcrowded zo beg to be let out while accidentally stepping on one another’s trunks, quills, and toes.

Field Trip Fiasco by Julie Danneberg

Mrs. Hartwell is taking her class on a field trip to the zoo, and because of the fiasco last time she has prepared a list of deal with anticipated disasters – but will they work?

What the Ladybug Heard at the Zoo by Julia Donaldson

The ladybug goes to town and visits a zoo, where she overhears Hefty Hugh and Lanky Len plotting to take a monkey and use him to rob the queen.

Zoo Zen: A Yoga Story for Kids by Kristen Fischer

Lyla learns yoga poses and gets some tips from the animals at the zoo as she observes one bear, two snakes, and more. Includes step-by-step instructions for doing each pose.

Zoo-Looking by Mem Fox

While Flora visits the zoo with her father, not only does she look at the animals but some of them turn to look at her.

Zoo Day, Olé!: A Counting Book by Phillis Gershator

Abuelita takes her granddaughter to the zoo. They have fun counting the animals and other things that they see. Uno, dos squirrels running! Tres bears standing! Cuatro seals splashing! Children will enjoy learning how to count in English and Spanish.

Through With the Zoo by Jacob Grant

Goat lives in a petting zoo – but doesn’t like to be touched!

Monkey and Me by Emily Gravett

Excited about their trip to the zoo, a young girl and her stuffed monkey delight in mimicking all the animals they see, such as a hopping kangaroo and stomping elephant, during their wonderful outing together.

Always Lots of Heinies at the Zoo by Ayun Halliday

Illustrations and rhyming text provide a behind-the-scenes tour of the zoo, revealing many sizes, shapes, and colors of animal bottoms.

Down by the Station by Will Hillenbrand

In this version of a familiar song, baby animals ride to the children’s zoo on the zoo

Welcome to the Zoo! by Alison Jay

Small stories and enchanting details abound in this wordless picture book, inviting curious eyes to explore a zoo brimming with luminous beauty, humor, and high-jinks.

That’s Not a Hippopotamus! by Juliette MacIver

On a visit to Don’s Safari, the students in class 2B attempt to find a missing hippopotamus.

Polar Bear, Polar Bear, What Do You Hear? by Bill Martin

Zoo animals from polar bear to walrus make their distinctive sounds for each other, while children imitate the sounds for the zookeeper.

¡Marimba!: Animales from A to Z by Pat Mora

Rhyming text reveals the antics of an alphabet full of zoo animals as they enjoy a night of singing, dancing, feasting, and playing musical instruments while their keepers sleep. Includes pronunciation and translation guide to Spanish words that appear throughout the text.

Bruno Manari’s Zoo by Bruno Munari

Illustrations and brief text introduce more than twenty zoo animals, including a rhinoceros that is always ready to fight and a peacock that struts proudly because he is the peacock.

The Opposite Zoo by Il Sung Na

After the zoo closes, monkey slips out of his cage to explore at the zoo, introducing the reader to the other animals and the idea of opposites.

Still a Gorilla by Kim Norman

Willy the Gorilla imitates the other animals at the zoo, but despite pretending he remains always a gorilla.

Stop Snoring, Bernard! by Zachariah OHora

Because his loud snores disturb all the other animals at the zoo, Bernard the otter tries to find a solution.

Going to the Zoo with Lily and Milo by Pauline Oud

Lily and Milo go to the zoo. They see a lot of different animals: elephants, polar bears, giraffes, chimpanzees, sea lions, tigers and penguins!

Going to the Zoo by Tom Paxton

Enthusiastic siblings describe the animals at the “zoo, zoo, zoo.”

Good Night, Gorilla by Peggy Rathmann

An unobservant zookeeper is followed home by all the animals he thinks he has left behind in the zoo.

Zoo Day by Anne F. Rockwell

A little boy visits the zoo with his family for the first time and marvels at all the wonders it offers.

Poo in the Zoo by Steve Smallman

Although zoo keeper Bob McGrew enjoys taking care of the animals at the zoo, he does not like scooping up all the poop.

Two at the Zoo by Danna Smith

A grandfather and grandchild go to the zoo, where they count animals from one to ten.

A Sick Day for Amos McGee by Philip Christian Stead

Amos McGee, a friendly zoo keeper, always makes time to visit his animal friends, but when he becomes sick and cannot come into work, the animals pay him a visit instead.

Old MacDonald Had a…Zoo? by Iza Trapani

In this revision of the classic song, Farmer MacDonald finds his farm invaded by a kangaroo, an elephant, and other animals that belong to the zoo, until he rounds them up and takes them back where they belong.

Goose Goes to the Zoo by Laura Wall

Best friends Sophie and Goose go to the zoo to find a friend for Goose when Sophie goes to school.

Amadou’s Zoo by Rebecca Walsh

Amadou has waited…and waited…and WAITED for his class trip to the zoo. But when they arrive, his teacher would rather talk about rules and facts. So, Amadou eagerly explores the zoo on his own special way – by allowing his imagination to lead. As more and more classmates follow him into his irresistible world of adventure, the sepia-toned zoo fills with vibrant color. Only one question remains – will Amadou’s teacher follow, too?

Animal Strike at the Zoo, It’s True! by Karma Wilson

The zoo animals go on strike until the tears of a disappointed little girl make them realize that they actually like what they do.

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