What's New at the Zoo

Reviewed by: Barbara Merritt - Scarborough School Department, Scarborough, Southern Maine Library District

Review Date: December 1, 2014

Review

Beginning 4400 years ago in the Sumerian city of Ur, Krull takes readers on a whirlwind tour of zoos through time and through the world. From the menageries of ancient kings and queens through the first public zoos in Victorian times to modern zoos working to save the lives of all kinds of creatures, the readers learns the many reasons and places zoos have been found. The book appears well reserached and includes a lengthy source list at the end. In addition to learning about animals and zoos, the book would be good to use as an example of a timeline as it follows the development of zoos chronologically, making it a good teaching resource. Perhaps the inclusion of a timeline somewhere in the book would help. Illustrations are somewhat cartoony but would attract the interest of young readers.

Overall Book Score: very good