zoo’s who

Bibliography

Florian, Douglas. 2005. zoo’s who. New York: Harcourt. ISBN 0152046399.

Review

Florian’s witty wordplays and simple rhymes combined with his artistic illustrations will make this a favorite among elementary students. Though some of the poems are informative, most are just fun and showcase the attributes of each animal with which children will be most familiar. Florian has also used poetic license with some poems such as “The Slugs” where he spaces each word out dramatically to emphasize the slow pace of a slug. These poems create visual effects much like concrete poetry which will appeal to children. Even though the poems are short and easy to understand there are also many vocabulary building words such as wallow, muck, and gravity that make these poems entertaining as well as educational. Florian has included a table of contents, so readers can quickly turn to a poem about their favorite animal.

Florian’s mixed-media illustrations will draw as much attention as the poems. Each animal is created in a collage using a variety of mediums including tin foil, candy wrappers, and watercolor. The name of each animal is stamped across the page using rubber stamps. Though some of the wordplay may be tricky for younger readers, children of all ages will enjoy this witty and artistic book.

Classroom/Library Connection

Recommended audience: upper elementary students (grades 3-5)

A brave and creative teacher could share these poems as an introduction to an art lesson using collage. The poems also lend themselves to be used in English lessons. The poem “Eagle” would be a great way to encourage students to be more descriptive.

Before Reading: Create a word wall in the library using butcher paper. Label it “adjectives”.

During Reading:  First, read the poem aloud to students.

The Eagle

I’m not a seagull.

I’m royal.

I’m regal.

All birds are not

Created eagle.

Read the poem a second time. This time ask students to try to identify adjectives they see in the poem.

After Reading: Allow students to tell you the adjectives royal and regal. Discuss what these two adjectives and then place them on the word wall. Allow students to talk to their neighbors about their favorite animals and brainstorm adjectives that would describe that animal. Give them notecards to write down their adjectives to add to the word wall.