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If I Ran the Zoo Review

I had never heard of this Dr. Seuss book until someone bought it for my son. He loves it, of course. Dr. Seuss always has great books! We loved it so much so that I bought it for one of my nephews since he is also a big Dr. Seuss fan. The crazy animals are so fun and just get more and more extravagant as the book goes on. It is fun for me and my son to read.

If I Ran the Zoo Overview

If I Ran the Zoo welcomes yong readers to the crazy world of Gerald McGrew, who dreams of transforming his local zoo into a madcap menagerie of wierd and wonderful beasts. His New Zoo, McGrew Zoo would be "better than Noah's whole Ark", with an amazing array of animals, ranging from the incredible Thwerll, whose legs are snarled up in a terrible snerl, to the family of Joats, whose feet are like cows' but wear squirrel-skin coats! This delightful book forms part of the second stage in HarperCollins' major Dr. Seuss rebrand programme. With the relaunch of 10 more titles in August 2003, such all-time favourites as How the Grinch Stole Christmas!, Mr. Brown Can Moo! Can You? and Dr. Seuss' Sleep Book boast bright new covers that incorporate much needed guidance on reading levels: Blue Back Books are for parents to share with young children, Green Back Books are for budding readers to tackle on their own, and Yellow Back Books are for older, more fluent readers to enjoy. If I Ran the Zoo belongs to the Yellow Back Book range.

If I Ran the Zoo Specifications

"It's a pretty good zoo," said young Gerald McGrew, "and the fellow who runs it seems proud of it, too." But if Gerald ran the zoo, the New Zoo, McGrew Zoo, he'd see to making a change or two: "So I'd open each cage. I'd unlock every pen, let the animals go, and start over again." And that's just what Gerald imagines, as he travels the world in this playfully illustrated Dr. Seuss classic (first published back in 1950), collecting all sorts of beasts "that you don't see every day." From the mountains of Zomba-ma-Tant to the blistering sands of the Desert of Zind, Gerald hunts down every animal imaginable ("I'll catch 'em in countries no one can spell, like the country of Motta-fa-Potta-fa-Pell"). Whether it's a scraggle-foot Mulligatawny or a wild-haired Iota (from "the far western part of south-east North Dakota"), Gerald amazes the world with his new and improved zoo: "This Zoo Keeper, New Keeper's simply astounding! He travels so far that you think he would drop! When do you suppose this young fellow will stop?"

But Gerald's weird and wonderful globe-trotting safari doesn't end a moment too soon: "young McGrew's made his mark. He's built a zoo better than Noah's whole Ark!" Some of the text and illustrations--imaginative as they are--are obviously dated, such as the following passage: "I'll hunt in the mountains of Zomba-ma-Tant/ With helpers who all wear their eyes at a slant,/ And capture a fine fluffy bird called the Bustard/ Who only eats custard with sauce made of mustard." And your children may be the first to recognize that attitudes have changed since the xenophobic '50s. But that doesn't mean this tale need be discarded; instead, it should be discussed. Ironically, Seuss was trying here--in his wild, explosive, and sometimes careless manner--to celebrate the joys of unconventionality and the bliss of liberation! (Ages 4 to 8)

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Customer Reviews

makes you want to run a zoo - Zvi Friedman - brno, czech republic
Dr. Seuss at his best, wants you to be a child again and as you grow wants you to run a zoo. Great fun to read even if you are a bit older then 6.

If I Ran The Zoo - uffda -
I read this book to our daughter all the way to Florida and back and thousands of times after that. I have now purchased it for my grandsons and it is by far the best of the Dr. Suess books. I recommend it to every parent and grandparent.

A Little Girl Will Be Very Happy - J. Wood - Planet Earth
This book came in excellent shape and within a reasonable period of time. The description was LIKE NEW, but looked like it had never been opened. Pristine. Thank you.

Dr. Seuss is So Stinking Creative! - Between the Lines - Sacramento, Ca
I have to remember that this book was written back before political corectness went haywire. I had a little giggle to myself about the "helpers who wear their eyes at a slant," and "...from the blistering sands of the Desert of Zind. This beast is the beast that the brave chieftans ride...A Mulligatawny is fine for my zoo, and so is a chieftan. I'll bring back one too." and "I'll go to the African island of Yerka" which isn't bad, but the illustration, of two black men looking more like monkey than men is quite bad by todays standard.

There are a few more P.R. things your wouldn't see nowdays, but you have to date it to the time when it was written. It is still a great, creative story. The first words out of my daughter's mouth were, "Hey mommy, if ~I~ ran the zoo, I would..."

Good `Ol Dr. Seuss. Even though the rhyming got to be tricky reading aloud for my tried at 8pm brain, everyone enjoyed it.

This book actually recieved a Caldecott Honor in 1951. The brain of Dr. Seuss...to come up with so many original and off-the-wall animals and characters in his books. Not my favorite Dr. Seuss book by a long shot but still worth a read!

*** Product Information and Prices Stored: Aug 19, 2010 08:48:15

Children's Books

Thursday, August 19, 2010