What's New at the Zoo?

Come along on an adding animal adventure at the zoo. Add baby animals to the adults to see how many there are all together. And while you are at it, learn what some of the zoo animals eat or what the baby animals are called. Follow the little lost red balloon as it soars through the zoo. At the end of the day, count up all the animals at the zoo.

"Supported by supplementary activities both at the end and on a companion Web site, this visit to a zoo provides emergent readers with plenty of addition practice, as well as snippets of information about panda cubs, elephant calves, peachicks, and other familiar zoo animal babies. Educational purpose takes the front seat here, but rests lightly enough on the rhymed text and animal pictures to remain more a game than a chore." - John Peters

"An attractive and instructive picture book. This cheerful package of images and information delivers intellectual nourishment in the guise of a tasty treat for the eyes. It’s a fun introduction to early math skills and basic animal facts.–Alyson Low, Fayetteville Public Library, AR

"My son, a preschooler, asked me to read this book to him multiple nights in a row! He kept coming back to it again and again! We would even finish reading the story and he would immediately want to go back to the first page to re-live the adventure!! This alone is a demonstration of the power of this book! Afterall, the only reason he quit asking for it was because I put it up so that I would remember to write this very review! Now, I'm off to add it back to our shelves, where I know it will end up right back in my child's hands!" -Tiff Talks Books

Author/Illustrator Info:

Suzanne Slade is the award-winning author of over 80 books for children including The Great Divide, Multiply on the Fly, What’s the Difference?, What’s New at the Zoo?, and Animals are Sleeping for Sylvan Dell. Her works include picture books, biographies, and many non-fiction titles about animals, sports, and nature. One of her favorite parts of the writing process is researching and learning new things. Suzanne lives near Chicago with her husband Mike, two children, and their tiny dog Corduroy. She enjoys visiting schools in-person or during her live virtual author visits. Visit Suzanne's Website /School Visit Info/Virtual Author Visit Page.

Joan Waites (What's the Difference?, Spring 2010, and What's New at the Zoo?) has been a freelance illustrator for the past 18 years. She received a Bachelor of Science degree from DeSales University in 1982. Employment followed for 15 years as a neo-natal intensive care nurse in Philadelphia and Washington DC, while she simultaneously returned to college to study illustration and launch her freelance career. In addition to What's the Difference? and What's New at the Zoo?, Joan has illustrated nearly 40 books for the educational and trade marketplace. She is also an adjunt faculty member of The Corcoran Museum School of Art and Design in Washington, DC, where she teaches various children's classes for the college's "Aspiring Artists" program. Visit Joan's website.