Under Construction

10/1/2018

Construction Zoo by Jennifer Thorne ill Susie Hammer

It's a quiet morning at the zoo until... a convoy of heavy-duty vehicles rumble in to disrupt the tranquility of the park.

Jennifer Thorne uses simple rhyming couplets to introduce various pieces of equipment, describing the tasks that each perform. The intriguing twist to this picture book is the comparison between animal and machine: giraffes and cranes, monkeys and wrecking balls, elephants and front loaders.

Susie Hammer's signature style emphasizing simple geometric shapes and bold colors accentuate the functional and visual similarities of these zoo inhabitants and their construction equipment counterparts.

Construction Zoo is a delightful read aloud. It also functions well as an interesting study in compare/contrast. This can go many ways. Try this for an extension activity. Compare animals with other inanimate objects such as fruits and vegetables. Build your own snack time zoo. Creating was never so delicious!