What it’s about:
A gorilla who isn’t quite ready to sleep yet, at least not alone in his own bed.
The gorilla has stolen the zookeeper’s keys! Before heading home, the zookeeper walks around the zoo, saying ‘Good night’ to all the animals. The gorilla sneaks along behind him, unlocking each cage.
The elephant, lion, giraffe, hyena, and all the other animals follow the zookeeper home, right into his house and bedroom. The gorilla even gets into his bed! When Mrs Zookeeper says ‘Good night,’ she’s surprised to hear all the animals reply, ‘Good night’ back. She returns them all to the zoo—except for the gorilla, who’s clever enough to snatch the keys again.
Why we love it:
It’s one of our all-time favourites at home. Beautifully crafted illustrations and calming, easy-to-follow text make this zoo story a delight for toddlers and young children. It’s one of those books you’ll find yourself narrating over and over again (and even you won’t get bored of it). There are only a few words in this picture book. Apart from the occasional pre-set ‘Good night’ lines, you’ll need to make up what you say to go along with the pictures. Sometimes, the zookeeper is funny; other times, he sings, then he’s cross or simply dead tired.
Where the book really shines, however, is in all that you can do with it. You can start asking a two or three-year-old to tell you what the story is on each page. You can ask a younger child to tell you where the moon is on the page (it, or at least a piece of it, is visible somewhere on almost every page). You can ask any child to deduce certain aspects of the story, such as what colour key do you think will open the lion’s cage (key colour matches cage colour)? After several readings, you can test a child’s memory with « There’s only one key left on the key ring – who’s cage is it for? » Or you simply enjoy telling the story over and over and over again.
Where to buy:
It’s a classic that you should find pretty much anywhere, including here:
Orell Füssli (German version)
Orell Füssli (English version)
Payot (French version)
