The Coldest Day in the Zoo & the Wildest Day at the Zoo

These two zoo stories are utterly charming and side-splittingly funny. When the heat conks out at the zoo, each animal's keeper must take an animal home. Narrator Brian Bowles is endearing as each character, whether human or animal, and his presentation of Rusbridger's alliteration enhances the clever writing. In the second story, Mr. Pickles, the zoo director, has keepers swap animals for one day. Again the results are hilarious. Bowles, who has done impressions for the Spitting Image series, is outstanding as he quotes a keeper's note and a manual on animal behavior. He also makes sound effects out of words, subtly enriching his presentation. Kids will laugh and learn about animals and zoos in this duo. S.G.B. © AudioFile 2007, Portland, Maine-- Copyright © AudioFile, Portland, Maine

Grade 2–4—These two humorous short tales by Alan Rusbridger are very entertaining. In The Coldest Day in the Zoo (Puffin, 2004), the heating system at the zoo breaks and the director, Mr. Pickles, asks the zookeepers to take their animals home with them over the weekend. That's when the fun begins—from the elephant crushing the car to the lion frightening the mail lady—and nothing turns out the way the zookeepers planned. In The Wildest Day in the Zoo (Puffin, 2005), Mr. Pickles thinks that it will break the monotony if the zookeepers switch animals for a day. But mayhem ensues as the animals outwit their keepers and end up on the loose. Although the plots are somewhat predictable, the hilarious details and the clever voice changes of narrator Brian Bowles will keep young listeners in stitches.—Cynthia Grabke, Halifax Elementary School, MA
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