ALA Booklist (Sat Jun 01 00:00:00 CDT 1996)

Originally published in 1961, Paxton's well-known children's song has been transformed into a lively picture book with additional lyrics and energetic illustrations. All double-page spreads, the colorful watercolor-and-gouache pictures are exaggerated yet still somewhat realistic as they depict a trio of siblings, accompanied by their dad, visiting a variety of zoo animals. The book offers many possibilities for use during a story time or in a classroom setting, with rhyme and repetition, plenty of action verbs, and onomatopoeia combining to make it a perfect choice for choral reading and dramatic play. Youngsters can even practice listening skills by comparing this new version with the original song to determine which animals have been added. The musical notation is a bonus. (Reviewed June 1 & 15, 1996)

Publishers Weekly (Fri Oct 06 00:00:00 CDT 2023)

Schmidt's sprightly watercolor and gouache illustrations lend a jaunty air to one of folksinger Paxton's best-known songs. Whimsical foreshadowing on the opening page quickly sets the stage for fun: readers see a family celebrating their coming trip while a bright-eyed and bushy-tailed menagerie peeks over the scene's border. With each turn of the page, the furred and feathered spies get their turn in the limelight (""""See all the monkeys scritch, scritch, scratchin' """"; """"Big black bear is a-huff, huff, a-puffin' """"). The toe-tapping text is knit together visually with depictions of the knobby-kneed zookeeper, resplendent in her uniform and cleats, seen tending to her prankish charges on every spread. Awash with sunny charm, the book could inspire an audience to break out in song; happily, the endpapers contain the musical score. Ages 3-up. (Apr.)

School Library Journal

PreS--Paxton and Schmidt have transformed the children's song "We're Going to the Zoo" into an appealing picture book that is perfect for story hour as well as for one-on-one sharing. The cadence of the song lends itself well to reading aloud, and music is included. The illustrations, done in watercolor and gouache in bright pastel colors, depict cheerful, friendly animals and people across double-page spreads that are large enough for a group to enjoy. The zoo is a popular destination for family and class trips, and this is a good book to read before or after such an outing. There's not much of a story here, but a good time is had by all.--Sue Norris, Rye Free Reading Room, NY

Horn Book (Tue Apr 01 00:00:00 CST 2003)

Helpful notes to adults accompany this book that features clear and simple text and art that are well geared to preschoolers. The young audience will easily grasp the concept of "traffic light foods": stop eating junk food, limit foods that slow you down, but go ahead and eat lots of healthy foods. A handy poster and recipes and hints for making healthy food appealing to kids are included.