Midnight at the Zoo

Reviewed by: Jill O'Connor - Harriet Beecher Stowe Elementary School, Brunswick, Southern Maine Library District

Review Date: December 13, 2017

Review

Hanson's sophomore effort is as beautiful as her first, The Wonder. Like that book, the illustrations are the star of the experience of reading this book. Filled with color, detail, whimsy, and a touch of magic, young readers will be enthralled with the show that the animals put on at the zoo after midnight. Max and Mia are disappointed when a highly-anticipated school trip to the zoo yields zero animal sightings and when the two are accidentally left behind, instead of panicking (Max carries lots of gear and is always prepared), they meet a friend who shows them the sights of the zoo after dark, none of which surprises them. Completely fantastical, this book allows young readers in on the possibility that what happens when humans are not around is truly wondrous. Even the endpapers are delightful in this beautiful, imaginative picture book. A few of the pages with darker backgrounds have darker text, which might be a slight challenge for a young reader on his or her own, but they will be so busy ogling the illustrations, it is a forgivable flaw.

Overall Book Score: very good