William and Rose are having a day out at the zoo. Whilst there they see numerous animals who all ask them to try new activities but the children decline as they are too scared.

This is one of those books that I am in two minds about. I enjoyed it because it was fun, made me laugh, rhymed, and the illustrations were rather sweet. I can see little children giggling along with the story.

However, as a parent, I was a little unsure about it. The children William and Rose are quite young, I would say younger than ten but they travel to the zoo alone. When they enter they encounter five different animals who all speak to the children and try to get them to join in with their tricks such as climbing a tree, riding a bike, skating, etc.

My initial reaction was why were the animals talking to them and why were they behaving as if they are in a circus and made to do tricks and encouraging the children to get close to animals that could be ferocious?

The book is very short and if you are looking for something entertaining, a bit of light relief reading for a child, then this would work. If you are after something a little more realistic and possibly educational then I would look somewhere else.

What did you think of A Day At The Zoo? Share your thoughts in the comment section below!