A classic children's book from Rod Campbell, popular with little ones bought to life with these fabulous Dear Zoo wooden animal characters.

Of course, all this talk of zoos and the animals they help protect, provides the perfect opportunity to include some non-fiction books too along with others for reference in your classroom.Instead after we have read the book a couple of times, I get them to finish each sentence - 'I wrote to the zoo to send me a pet. Mark making in the early years is when children intentionally start to draw their own lines, patterns or shapes using their bodies or tools. It's also been interesting observing the work of children done at the easel compared to the tabletop easels when painting these past few weeks. We love ‘Dear Zoo’ in our house, sadly though my toddler loved it a little too much and destroyed it!

The plastic animals have been very popular so we decided to make animal prints a bit like these ones at Teach Preschool. With bright, bold artwork, a catchy refrain and a whole host of favourite animals, no child's bookcase is complete without a well-worn copy of Dear Zoo. We've played Sleepi ng Animals which is requires everyone to lie down firstly, pretending to be fast asleep.Imaginative or small world play is a staple in my house and in my classroom (I've shared many to an album on FB) and 'Dear Zoo' lends itself beautifully to this type of play. They could sort the animals into two hoops labelled farm and zoo, do a numbered animal puzzle or weigh the different animals from the book. We will acknowledge your complaint within 5 working days and inform you of how we will intend to resolve the dispute. During group time I've also used this aspect of the book to have children make different connections and comparisons.

They can easily make connections and for those that can't, the book provides plenty of opportunity for sharing experiences during group time by those who can. Books do influence how gender is seen or not seen and what is interesting is that even in 2000 females are often invisible or not children’s picture books. When my eldest attended primary school, they didn’t participate in world book day like the girls school do an. The Bookseller Dear Zoo is a classic that children never seem to tire of and is always a pleasure to read.Little animal lovers will also enjoy Rod Campbell's Look After Us, a lift-the-flap animal book for toddlers with a positive message about conservation. While the children are lying quietly, you tell them that when the music starts and they wake up, they will be bouncing kangaroos, snappy crocodiles or tiny mice. You turn the music on for half a minute or so and then they all lie down asleep, ready to be turned into another animal.