I love the style of illustration of Anthony Browne’s books, far more like non picture book pictures than some picture books, if that makes any sense. But I found the story in this one quite disturbing. I’m sure it’s supposed to be satirical or thought provoking but mainly it seemed unpleasant and rather sad, as it tells the story of a less than happy family on a less than happy day trip out to the zoo.
Possibly better targeted at an older audience than 4, as the messages are quite complex, although the pictures are gorgeous with plenty to interest children of all ages.
Readability 8/10
Plausibility 9/10
Visuals 9/10
Hm. need to work on the rating score as I’ve just ended up giving this book a much higher score than ones I really love.
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