Review: In visiting the zoo, young Gerald McGrew expresses reservations about having an ordinary zoo. "I'd make a few changes." "I want something new!" "Let the animals go, and start over again." The illustration shows the cages being opened up with lions and tigers wandering off down the zoo paths . . . and not being returned to any appropriate place for them to live. Why is that a good example for children? Beats me!

The bulk of the story involves young Gerald telling the zookeeper what he'd do instead, while Gerald imagines himself as the zookeeper. The bulk of the story involves concocting exotic animals from far-off lands and unusual ways to capture them. One of the things I liked about the story is that many of these animals are connected a little to real places or animals. That makes the process of creating them more obvious to a child. For example, the first exotic animal is a lion with at least ten legs, five on each side.

The animals gradually veer away from the standard animals. Next, there's a "new sort-of-a-hen who roosts in another hen's topknot" and so forth so they are all stacked up on top of one another. Following that is an elephant-cat.

At that point, the flights of fancy move further afield. He goes on a hunt for a "What-do-you-know" past the North Pole. In typical Dr Seuss fashion, the names are formed to help make the rhymes work better. You get flustards and bustards. Flustards also eat mustard with a sauce made of custard. In similar fashion, lunks come in a bucket from Nantucket.

For those who watch closely, you'll be amused to see that there's a "Nerd" collected and illustrated here.

One of my favorite hunts is the one for a Natch, in which it is necessary to cook a special meal to lure him from his high cave.

By the time Gerald's done he concludes, "It's the gol-darndst zoo on the face of the earth!" The zoo's collection success he sees as a reflection of his own magnificence.

The illustrations are the book's strength, because the drawings are usually much funnier than the rhymes. the illustrations are done in red, yellow, and blue to highlight the weirdness of the exotic animals. The verse and illustrations complement one another well.

After you finish this story, think about how you could write new rhymes to make it a five-star book. With a little editing here and there, and an occasional added rhyme, you'll soon have a five-star collaboration with Dr. Seuss that you can proudly read to your child. Think of that!

Focus creativity where it will expand the heart as well as the mind!


An Off-Target Look at Encouraging Creativity   May 9, 2004
 3 out of 12 found this review helpful

Review Summary: In these days when we realize that wild animals are almost always better off in natural surroundings than in the zoo, this book chooses a questionable place for exercising creativity. The story also builds around the notion of employing lots people who live in the locales where rare animals occur to do much of the heavy lifting. That attitude also seems out of whack with a world in which we honor differences and seek people out on a common basis. Some will also wonder about the wisdom of having the youngster in the story simply let all of the zoo animals go. If you decide to introduce this story to your children, you will probably want to explain a few things to go along with the verse that Dr. Seuss wrote 50 years ago. Otherwise, you can safely avoid this book and go on to one of Dr. Seuss's many fine books that encourage creativity . . . without any mixed messages.

Review: In visiting the zoo, young Gerald McGrew expresses reservations about having an ordinary zoo. "I'd make a few changes." "I want something new!" "Let the animals go, and start over again." The illustration shows the cages being opened up with lions and tigers wandering off down the zoo paths . . . and not being returned to any appropriate place for them to live. Why is that a good example for children? Beats me!

The bulk of the story involves young Gerald telling the zookeeper what he'd do instead, while Gerald imagines himself as the zookeeper. The bulk of the story involves concocting exotic animals from far-off lands and unusual ways to capture them. One of the things I liked about the story is that many of these animals are connected a little to real places or animals. That makes the process of creating them more obvious to a child. For example, the first exotic animal is a lion with at least ten legs, five on each side.

The animals gradually veer away from the standard animals. Next, there's a "new sort-of-a-hen who roosts in another hen's topknot" and so forth so they are all stacked up on top of one another. Following that is an elephant-cat.

At that point, the flights of fancy move further afield. He goes on a hunt for a "What-do-you-know" past the North Pole. In typical Dr Seuss fashion, the names are formed to help make the rhymes work better. You get flustards and bustards. Flustards also eat mustard with a sauce made of custard. In similar fashion, lunks come in a bucket from Nantucket.

For those who watch closely, you'll be amused to see that there's a "Nerd" collected and illustrated here.

One of my favorite hunts is the one for a Natch, in which it is necessary to cook a special meal to lure him from his high cave.

By the time Gerald's done he concludes, "It's the gol-darndst zoo on the face of the earth!" The zoo's collection success he sees as a reflection of his own magnificence.

The illustrations are the book's strength, because the drawings are usually much funnier than the rhymes. the illustrations are done in red, yellow, and blue to highlight the weirdness of the exotic animals. The verse and illustrations complement one another well.

After you finish this story, think about how you could write new rhymes to make it a five-star book. With a little editing here and there, and an occasional added rhyme, you'll soon have a five-star collaboration with Dr. Seuss that you can proudly read to your child. Think of that!

Focus creativity where it will expand the heart as well as the mind!


One Irish rock star can't be wrong   February 2, 1999
 1 out of 2 found this review helpful

This is the best book I've ever read. Given I've only read Go Dogs Go,Hop on Pop,and The Communist Manifesto. This book was recommended to me by Paul Hewson. Like I said one Irish rock star can't be wrong.


If I Ran The Zoo gets thumbs up--two!   April 9, 1998
 1 out of 1 found this review helpful

The book is wonderful! The illustrations are eye-catching and simple. The rhythm is easy to pick up! The children I have read it to bounce to the rhythme and like to make up there own animals at the end of the story. A family favorite for ALL!!


Great book for children, with more Dr. Seussian creatures   April 6, 1998
Young children will love this foray into a child's imagination as he imagines the wonderful creatures that he would bring into the zoo if he could only be allowed to run it. Anyone familiar with Dr. Seuss will not be surprised at the fantastical creatures which populate the imaginary zoo and delight young readers. Some children may be confused, however, when at the end of the book the child reverts to reality and his spectator role, sadly watching a pedestrian zoo run by a plump, adult zookeeper.