Review by Publisher's Weekly Review
Actress Phyllis Newman provides an introduction and afterword to this spirited picture book, based on the lyrics of a song written by Newman's late husband, Green, and his longtime collaborator, Comden, for the 1960 Broadway musical Do Re Mi. The song rhymes animals' body parts and exclamations, as they vie for space in an overcrowded zoo: "Ouch! 'You're stepping on my pouch!' to the bear said the kangaroo./ Oh! 'You're stepping on my toe!' to the kangaroo said the gnu." The chorus, "Let us out! Let us out! Let us out! The zoo is overloaded," is delivered with flair on die-cut, foldout pages. Sans music, the lyrics sound overly repetitious, but bold, colorful typography gives them pizzazz. Foster's (The Feet in the Gym) raucous cartoons highlight the animals mentioned in the verse (a moose, stepping on a pelican's bill, in turn has its own snout stomped on by a goose) by portraying them in color, while the rest of the expressive (and quite cranky) menagerie can be seen in gray outlines in the background. It's a lively portrayal of a zoo gone wild. Ages 4-up. (Sept.) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.
(c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved
Review by School Library Journal Review
K-Gr 3-The animals in this appealing book cry, "Let us out!/Let us out!/The zoo is overloaded./The population has exploded!" The words are actually the lyrics of a song from the 1960 Broadway musical Do Re Mi. The story was inspired by the overcrowding at the Central Park Zoo before the days of natural zoo habitats. "'Ouch! You're stepping on my POUCH!'/to the bear said the kangaroo./ 'Oh! You're stepping on my TOE!'/to the kangaroo said the gnu." With fun lift-the-flap details and tummy-tickling rhymes, this book will appeal to fans of slapstick humor. The cartoon illustrations really bring the silliness to life. The only thing that is missing is the score, but some performances of this song can be found online. A great read-aloud with an interesting history and musical connection.-Jasmine L. Precopio, Fox Chapel Area School District, Pittsburgh, PA (c) Copyright 2011. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
(c) Copyright Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Review by Kirkus Book Review
Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
