ZooZical

And now for a little bit of theater... 

THREE PROS

*My son laughed a bunch when I sang the musical verses, confirming my hunch that these were the best part   

*Judy Sierra was able to tell a nice story in spite of her obvious primary goal of making it rhyme
*I used pages like the seals on the bus to explain what a prop was and other stage basics

THREE CONS 

*That rhyming cadence is choppy in a couple of places, to the point that I caught myself repeating a phrase to make sure I got it right 
*It would be hard to make animals look less like pandas and baboons (though the majority of Marc Brown's illustrations were nice enough) 

*Too many uses of the word "doldrums" for a children's book -- and by too many, I mean more than zero

ONE DAD'S OPINION
This was a rather tough rating decision.  The younger critic in my home has asked both of us to read it a few times, and, while he's not ready to give it rave reviews, he has demonstrated though his actions that it's got a decent run in it.  Meanwhile, the "Butcher of Kidlit" (my newly self-appointed nickname in honor of Frank Rich), was less impressed.  It's not Lincoln Center quality, but it's not an off-off Broadway event either.  Weaving this all together, I think we can go curtains up with the following: for the modest price of a library visit, you'll enjoy the show. 

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