My Never Ending List

This one is a keeper. I love everything about this book and you will too, if you love books and zoo animals. I was subbing some afternoon and the librarian read this to my third graders before check-out time and to be honest, I think I enjoyed it more than they did. I couldn’t wait till he finished so I could write the name of this book down so I get my hands on it as I didn’t think he gave the book the justice it deserved. The book was dying as he read in a monotone voice, he didn’t point out all the great illustrations nor did he highlight some of the great references in the text, he killed it. I knew with the right person reading this book, this book could be a gem!  Let me tell you the illustrations are terrific, the pages are glossy and just opening this book, there are so many details within each page, you will want to just look at the pages before or after reading the text to make sure you get the full effect. The text is amazing. The story centers on Molly the librarian who pulls her bookmobile into the zoo by mistake. As she starts to read Dr. Seuss, the animals in the zoo surround her and start to read the books she has. Each animal has a favorite book or genre so whether they are hanging from trees, lying in the water, reading to their babies and many other situations, they are reading. The author is very creative in attaching the books to the animals. So what happens to the zoo as the animals read, the zoo changes. Written in black, this text rhymes and yes, some of the words are hard to pronounce and understand so if you read this book to younger children, please explain some of the words. Words like niches, devoured, haiku, and resistance might need to be explained.   The book is funny but younger children might not totally understand all the concepts unless you explain them to them. For example: the hyenas liked joke books, “the boa constrictor squeezed Crictor too tight”, and porcupines wrote with their quills. I’m so excited to find this gem and know it will be one I will be sharing in the classroom. This would make a great gift too!