The Elephant's Girl. By Celesta Rimington

The Elephant's Girl by Celesta Rimington 324 pages A magical adventure about a girl with a mysterious connection with the elephant who saved her life, for fans of Katherine Applegate and Jennifer Holm.An elephant never forgets, but Lexington Willow can't remember what happened before a tornado swept her away when she was a toddler. All she knows is that it landed her near an enclosure in a Nebraska zoo; and there an elephant named Nyah protected her from the storm. With no trace of her birth family, Lex grew up at the zoo with Nyah and her elephant family; her foster father, Roger; her best friend, Fisher; and the wind whispering in her ear.Now that she's twelve, Lex is finally old enough to help with the elephants. But during their first training session, Nyah sends her a telepathic image of the woods outside the zoo. Despite the wind's protests, Lex decides to investigate Nyah's message and gets wrapped up in an adventure involving ghosts, lost treasure, and a puzzle that might be the key to finding her family. As she hunts for answers, Lex must summon the courage to leave the secure borders of her zoo to discover who she really is--and why the tornado brought her here all those years ago. I love elephants and I love Zoos so this book was just right for me. The fantasy part of the story was a little bit out of my genre, but made the story very interesting. I would recommend this to girls or boys who enjoy animals and adventure.

There's a Giraffe In My Soup by Ross Burach

There's a Giraffe in my Soup
by Ross Burach
32 pages









This is a funny book that engages readers from the very first page, when the young diner arrives at the restaurant on his Big Wheel and leaves it with the valet. The waiter does not initially believe the boy at first but realizes that the child is right and quickly brings him a fresh bowl. Each new serving brings a bigger and more difficult dilemma. The animals prove to be more of a problem for the waiter than the boy. He ends up with bandages, cuts, and a broken leg. Children will be eager to see what comes next. They will also enjoy watching the waiter become more frightened and exhausted with each trip to and from the kitchen. When it is suggested the young boy have a free dessert...things become even worse!

Zoo 2 by James Patterson and Max Dilallo

Zoo 2 by James Patterson and  Max Dilallo, 146 pages

Bookshots are the latest creation from James Patterson.  They are short little books that you can read in a day and cost as much as a magazine.  I think it is a brilliant idea for adults who don't have the time to invest in a longer novel.  I thought Zoo 2 was a good read as a follow up to his novel Zoo.  The shorter book might not of had all the details, but it was a captivating read.  Oz and his wife Chloe and son Eli are found traveling the world to try and escape the dangers of the virus making animals go crazy.  Traveling from the Arctic, to Japan, Hawaii, and Idaho, Oz has to find out why the virus is spreading to humans and how he can cure them.

Put me in the Zoo by Robert Lopshire

Put Me in the Zoo by Robert Lopshire, 61 pages.

This fun children's book starts with a large animal (dog?bear?) visiting a zoo and witnessing the pampering that the zoo animals are getting. This, he thinks, is the life for him! When he asks the zookeepers to take him in, he is escorted out.

He pleads his case to a couple of kids - showing them all of his tricks and why he thinks that he belongs on the zoo too!

Wild About Books by Judy Sierra

Wild About Books by Judy Sierra, 30 pages

Molly McGrew, the Springfield Librarian, accidentally drives her book mobile to the zoo.  She starts to read Dr. Seuss.  All the animals want to learn about reading.  There are cute rhymes how the animals read their books.  They even have the Zoolitzer Prize.  They like books so much, they open the Zoobrary!

MSCHMITT-- How much Does the Gray in an Elephant Weight?, Elle van Lieshout, 32

MSCHMITT-- How much Does the Gray in an Elephant Weight?, Elle van Lieshout, 32

A boy and his grandpa visit the zoo and ask a bunch of interesting (and maybe unanswerable) questions about the animals.