Fun & Games at the Zoo by Kevin Price

9/10

Maisie and Bertie join the animals at the zoo for their Fun Day in this fun, rhyming and educational story, the follow up to 2010's successful 'The Beauty Contest at the Zoo'. Children can join in with the animal's games. Will they race with the cheetah or roar with the lion? And can they find and count the chipmunks that are hiding on each page?

Fun and Games at the Zoo is the follow up to the delightful The Beauty Contest at the Zoo which I reviewed almost 2 years ago. Kevin Price - whose other titles The Silly Solar System and Crazy Creepy Crawlies are also excellent - is a firm favourite of my daughter Edie, aged 6, and my son Elliot, aged 3. The catchy rhymes and colourful illustrations have ensured that the books are now both well worn and well read, and that is exactly how it should be with a book.

The latest offering from Price will be reviewed using the words of Edie and Elliot, as their thoughts are far more important than mine! So my first question to them, upon completing the book, was "Did you enjoy it?" and the answers where unhesitatingly "Yes" and "Yes".

So I asked them both, "Which was your favourite animal?" to which Edie replied "The bear, because it was asleep," and Elliot "The lion, because it roars!". To explain the first comment, Edie likes bears more when they are asleep as they are less dangerous. Obvious really. "Did anything scare you?". "No" said Edie, "The Lion," said Elliot (who likes to be a little scared, especially where dinosaurs are involved).

And then came the question that gives most insight as to whether or not they really enjoyed the book, "Would you like me to read it you again?". Again "Yes" and "Yes", followed by "Can we go to a zoo please?". Which means that the book was successful in its two aims. Both children gave the book 2 big thumbs up.

As a parent I liked the way each page lead to the child's interaction, from roaring like a lion to hanging backwards of the sofa like a bat, from running as fast as a cheetah to jumping as high as a kangaroo. Thoroughly recommended, and all donations from the sale of the book will be used by World Land Trust's overseas project partners to fund park rangers who ensure that the reserves remain safe for animals in the world.