- Board Books
- Ages 0–3
- Everyday Life
Dear Zoo
A beloved lift-the-flap classic where a child writes to the zoo asking for a pet, the zoo obliges with increasingly unsuitable animals until they finally get it right. Irresistible repetition, sturdy flaps, and a perfectly satisfying ending make this the board book every baby owns twice.
- Best for0–3
- FormatBoard
- Length22 pp
- Read aloud~3 min
The vibe
What it’s like.
Experience meters
What’s it about?
The story.
A child writes to the zoo asking them to send a pet. The zoo obliges, first with an elephant (too big), then a giraffe (too tall), a lion (too fierce), a camel (too grumpy), a snake (too scary) and a monkey (too naughty). Finally, the zoo sends the perfect solution. Rod Campbell's simple repetitive structure, lift-the-flap mechanism, and clear bright illustrations make Dear Zoo one of the most enduring board books ever published. First published in 1982, it has remained in print continuously and is often one of a baby's first books. The rhythm of each page, 'I wrote to the zoo to send me a pet. They sent me a... He was too... So I sent him back', is irresistible for reading aloud and easy for very young children to anticipate and join in with.
“I wrote to the zoo to send me a pet. They sent me an…”
Fit check
Right for your child?
Where it lands by age
- 1
- 3
- 5
- 7
- 9
- 11
- 13
- Best fit · 0–3
- Read aloud · 0–4
Prose load
Minimal
Visual support
Very high
Reluctant-reader friendly
Very
Read-aloud quality
Excellent
Works well for
- Reading aloud
- Bedtime
- Reluctant readers
Nothing in the book is likely to concern most parents. Safe to recommend without preview.
Bedtime suitability
5 / 5 · Bedtime-friendly
Sensitive-child
4 / 5 · Good fit
Graphic intensity
1 / 5 · None
Best for
- Babies
- Toddlers
- Lift the flap
- First books
- Animal lovers
Avoid if
No common reasons to avoid this one — a rare clean sweep on the sensitivity flags.
In the classroom
How it works in school.
The lift-the-flap classic — a perfect first read-aloud, great for joining in and guessing what's behind the flap.
A book children love that happens to support school — never a stand-in for the texts a class is taught with. Reviewed for the classroom · June 2026.
Why it lands
Why they love it.
Why kids love it
The flap-lift is the moment, every single time, for the under-twos. Children love being one step ahead — they remember which animal is too tall, too grumpy, too fierce, and they get to be the one who knows.
- Animal companions
- Talking to animals
Why parents love it
Survives chewing, throwing and the first six months of nursery. Forty years of toddlers can't all be wrong.
- Nostalgia
- Bedtime appropriate
- Quick to read
About the author
Rod Campbell.
If you liked this
Three ways out of this book.
If you liked this, try…
Lateral matches. Same shelf, different texture.
Where to go next…
Escalation reads — a step up in scale, silliness, or stakes.
More like this…
Books that share themes and topics with this one.
Where you’ll find it
On these reading lists.
Buy or borrow
Pick up a copy.
- Bookshop.org ↗
- Waterstones ↗
- Amazon UK ↗
- Hive ↗
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