A ROOM WITH A ZOO
by Jules Feiffer
Michael Di Capua Books/Hyperion
Hardcover: 0786837020
Paperback: 9780786837038
Ages 7-up
192 pages

Julie is an animal lover who has always wanted a dog. She asks for a dog when she sees one on the street, and then again when she sees one on television. "Not until you're old enough to walk it yourself," her parents tell her. Then one day Julie has a new idea. "You don't have to walk a cat, do you?" she asks. Her parents let her have Timmy, the first animal for the zoo in her bedroom.

A ROOM WITH A ZOO is about Julie's adventures with animals. One animal at a time, her room fills with pets. Her parents get her Hammy, a hamster, when Timmy isn't as cuddly as she imagined. Next they get Oscar, a mean, ugly fish, to take Timmy's mind off of eating Hammy. Then there's a turtle, and a visit from the classroom rabbit.

Each pet creates some new adventure, or disaster. The book culminates with a trip to a relative's farm. Julie sees all kinds of other animals she would like to have, including goats and a newborn kitten. But each time she asks for a new pet, she worries she's using up her chances to get what she really wants...a dog.

Children will identify with Julie's passions and anxieties about her animals. Adults will relate to what Julie's parents experience each time a new pet is added to her zoo. Illustrated liberally by the author's hilarious and emotive drawings, the story of the Feiffer family could be the account of any family who has ever tried to find the right pet to love.

   --- Reviewed by Sarah A. Wood

Click here now to buy this book from Amazon.com.

Back to top.