Happy Birthday Dear Zoo

Happy Birthday to you,
Happy Birthday to you,
Happy Birthday Dear Zoo,
Happy Birthday to you.

Dear Zoo is celebrating its 30th birthday. Woweeee, that's nearly as ancient as me!

Dear Zoo has been a favourite picture book in our house for nearly three years now. Our slightly battered and scribbled-on copy has an interesting story behind it. We found our copy of Dear Zoo underneath the sofa of our room on our first ever stay at Center Parcs with Lara when she was six months old. Quite what we were doing scrabbling under the sofa, I don't know; but I do know that Lara instantly fell in love with the book. I'm sure there is a very sad child or desperate parent somewhere that was searching for their copy of Dear Zoo but there is no way Lara would have let us hand it in to lost property!

Dear Zoo is a wonderful collection of bright illustrations of zoo animals with lift-the-flap fun too. The story is simple, repetitive and brings a smile to children's faces.  Three years on, Lara can recite it with her eyes closed.

Last week Holly discovered Dear Zoo for the first time when we attended a birthday party in honour of the book. Lara met a zoo keeper who told the tale of Dear Zoo in a fabulous way with animals galore! We also got a chance to meet Rod Campbell who made the book.

I was really impressed with Rod who seemed totally unfazed by the room full of crazed toddlers. Rod likes to use the term "make" a book rather than to write or to illustrate and I think you can see that in all of his books. The latest touchy-feely version of Dear Zoo has interactive parts on each page and is much more than just a picture book. When asked which of his books was his favourite, Rod replied that making a book is very much like having a child... you love them all for their differences and what makes them, them!

There are lots of new and exciting Dear Zoo products out to celebrate the 30th anniversary of the first publication of the book and we love the look of all of them!