Dear Zoo: A Lift-the-Flap Book

My daughter, who is 18 months old LOVES this book! She wants me to read it to her over and over again. She loves pulling the flaps down and pointing to all the animals. It’s pretty durable so far and my daughter literally wants to read it daily.

Terrible. This autobiographical vignette normalizes the exotic animal trade and perpetuates hurtful stereotypes of the animals it portrays. It suggests that a complex, feeling creature such as an elephant may simply be taken from its home, confined in a crate, and shipped to an address for the purpose of being someone's pet, then casually returned if it fails to serve as the perfect companion animal. The protagonist repeats the same process with several other animals, shaming some as too big or too tall, dismissing others as too grumpy or too fierce, and even passing moral judgement on one as being too naughty. Nonetheless, the zoo, greedily complicit in the whole fiasco, does eventually send an acceptable pet. Given the author's historically disrespectful approach to pet ownership, I'm not convinced this is an entirely happy ending.Nah, j/k. It's cute and fun and our 1-year-old frickin' loves it. It's durable, the flaps are different shapes & sizes and open in different directions, and the design isn't too busy (like the Little Red Barn, Little Blue Boat, etc. series). Five stars.

One of our favorite toddler and preschooler books. I have 6 children and this was my go to “first book” for all of them. We love a good interactive flap book! The repetitive storyline makes it easy to anticipate the next lines and memorize (great for foundational reading skills). The only con is the same with all flap books -little hands ripping them off! But I see it as a sign of a well loved book! And worth ordering a new one if it’s beyond fixing with tape.

“Dear Zoo” is one of those rare children’s books that feels just as magical the tenth time as it does the first. The lift-the-flap format is pure gold for toddlers—there’s something so satisfying about revealing each animal, especially with the playful buildup on every page.The story is simple and engaging, with just the right amount of repetition to keep young readers involved while helping them learn. It’s a perfect mix of surprise, humor, and gentle pacing, and the bold illustrations make each animal instantly recognizable and exciting.

Such a cute little book. My daughter is obsessed with lifting the flaps and naming the animals. If you have a toddler who loves animals I would suggest this book.

This is a staple for any toddler! I love this book and so has every one of my grandkids that I've bought it for! The love interacting with the book, opening the flaps, and saying the name of the animals! Always one of their favorites!

Classic, well made life the flap book.We love Where's Spot so decided to gift this one for the Easter basket.The pages hold up well to toddler hands and he enjoys following the story along.I just wish there were a few more words on the page so we could enjoy it more.But overall, toddler loves it and it is a go-to in our house

This board book is such a favorite for kids and toddlers for years! They learn all the words and it’s so much fun!