A boy slips into the zoo before opening hours only to find that when a fox snatches the zookeeper's keys and releases all the caged animals, chaos ensues. The silly narrative serves as a platform for a counting book from one to ten, with zebras, beavers, and elephants included in the menagerie. Exaggerated digital illustrations have a lot of verve.

A fearless fox filches keys, and crazy creatures stir up all kinds of mischief. While waiting in line for the zoo to open, a little boy sneaks in, just in time to see the zookeeper's keys being snatched. He follows the fox, who lets all the animals out of their cages. Then... "2 sporty zebras in goggles and flippers / were snipping the walruses' whiskers with clippers." An array of further animal antics unfolds in bouncy verse (full of phonetic Seussian crunch) amid equally antic pictures. There are "4 anxious elephants" packing their trunks but stopped by skunks; "6 groovy 'roos" tapping their shoes, along with hyenas singing rhythm and blues; fickle leopards, pompous peacocks, clever chimps and so on join in the mayhem all the way up to ten. Degman's verse is bright—this text won the Cheerios New Author Contest—and animator Jack's digitally produced creatures, both animal and human, are pleasingly Bill Peetesque. Crackling good fun. (Picture book. 3-6)

K-Gr 1 By sneaking into the zoo before it opens, a young boy witnesses &4;1 fearless fox&4; stealing the zookeeper&9;s keys. Whimsical mayhem ensues as animals are freed from their cages. Hippos play musical chairs, beavers cook up chili for lunch, and leopards trade in their round spots for squares and triangles. All returns to normal, however, with one loud shout from the zookeeper, and the young boy is deposited back outside to wait in line. Degman&9;s giggle-inducing rhymes move this read-aloud story along: &4;2 sporty zebras in goggles and flippers/were snipping the walrus&9;s whiskers with clippers./One did the combing, the other the trimming./They swept up the clippings, then all four went swimming.&4; Kids will enjoy hearing the catchy rhymes read multiple times. Digital cartoon images, made to appear like hand-drawn ink sketches, capture the swift movement and playful mood. Overall, this a fun romp through the zoo. Richelle Roth, Boone County Public Library, KY