School Library Journal Review
PreS-K-An inventive child's "typical" morning routine will intrigue youngsters while generating giggles. Upon waking, a small boy is surrounded by his stuffed animals: "The day begins as many do:/I find myself inside a zoo." After fighting off a "savage ape" (a toy gorilla), he climbs down a mountain (the stairs), feeds a beast (his dog), challenges a monster (the vacuum cleaner), liberates a dragon (his iguana), grapples with a green snake (the garden hose), and has other vigorous adventures throughout the morning. After a bath, given to him by a giant (his father), and lunch, the child awakens from his nap and again finds himself inside a zoo; readers can only surmise what's in store for the afternoon. The rhyming circular story never misses a beat and introduces some challenging action words (e.g., descend, confront, construct, vanish, trek). Full-page watercolor illustrations humorously depict the boy's tireless energy and sense of whimsy. Well suited for storytime, this spirited tale will stimulate imaginations and encourage make-believe play.-Maryann H. Owen, Racine Public Library, WI (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Publisher's Weekly Review
Ashman's (Castles, Caves, and Honeycombs) tongue-in-cheek picture book portrays the ordinary world through the eyes of a rambunctious youngster. As his parents sleep, a boy in red pajamas wakes up surrounded by stuffed animals and imagines that the bars of his bedstead belong to a cage in the zoo. The narrator pretends, "I am cornered by a savage ape / I growl and make a quick escape." He tiptoes past his parents' room ("the place/ where giants sleep") and imagines himself confronting various dangers: a vacuum cleaner becomes a monster, a garden hose transforms into a "spitting snake," his backyard swimming pool a tidal wave. Mu?oz's (Le Petit Capitaine) action-filled drawings show the boy rappelling down the stairs, smacking the dangerous ape away and flying like superman as his father whisks him back to the kitchen for lunch. Although the boy narrates his own adventure, the illustrations clue the audience in without diminishing the make-believe fun. The boy peers out from a "jungle" of potted plants; the "lake" he jumps across is a backyard puddle. Some parents may be troubled at the idea of a child playing with a rope or in a swimming pool without supervision, while others will appreciate the hero's model of a child using ordinary objects to construct inventive games. When the giant forces the boy to drink a "magic sleeping punch," and he awakens inside the zoo/bedroom, the end of the book hints at the start of another adventure. Ages 4-8. (May) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved
