Panda-monium at Peek Zoo by Kevin Waldron (review)

In the frenzy of preparation for an animal parade at his zoo, zookeeper Mr. Peek gets a bit sloppy, unknowingly letting out the penguins, absent-mindedly applying black shoe polish to the tortoises’ shells, inadvertently overheating the polar bear environment, and forgetting to feed Mr. Whiskerwitz, the lion. Luckily, his small son Jimmy is on the ball, and he adroitly and quietly sets things to rights. When panda cub Lulu is discovered in Mr. Whiskerwitz’s pen, Mr. Peek fears the worst, but not to worry: Jimmy has fed the lion, and the big cat is gently playing with little Lulu. The zoo parade is then held without further ado, but careful viewers will spot Mr. Peek about to step on a banana peel tossed down by a monkey, and the final pages show Mr. Peek triumphant but with his leg in a cast. The jaunty language (“Jimmy, my boy, everything is tickety-boo for our big day at Peek Zoo!”) and carefully structured plot will make this a successful readaloud selection. Numerous illustrative details also clue viewers in on the action that happens outside the textual narrative—a can of shoe polish atop one of the tortoise’s shells hints at Mr. Peek’s mistake with them, for example, and tiny Lulu can be seen heading off to the lion’s cage in one corner as the zookeeper panics about her whereabouts. Though the darker hues make the visuals a little hard to differentiate at times, the zoo antics and the lively, retro digital illustrations recall Savage’s Where’s Walrus? (BCCB 2/11). The exuberant action of the green-suited, handlebar-mustached Mr. Peek, the diminutive Jimmy, and the various zoo residents will keep kids’ attention, though, especially those who loved Rathman’s Goodnight, Gorilla (BCCB 5/94).