Today we celebrate 30 years since the publication of Rod Campbell’s Dear Zoo, now deservedly considered as a classic for the under-fives.
Since 1982, over 5 million copies of Dear Zoo have been sold across the world, and with new interactive editions as well as the classic board book, Dear Zoo is ready to become a childhood favourite of the next generation as well.
To celebrate, Macmillan Children’s Books have created the most wonderful video featuring parents and grandparents talking about their memories of reading and sharing Dear Zoo:
Now it is your turn to share your memories of Dear Zoo, and to be in the running to to win a signed copy of Dear Zoo!
All you need to do is share your memories of Dear Zoo in the comments below. This could be memories of reading it as a child, or reading it as an adult to your own children/grandchildren/nephews etc!
Closing date: Midnight on Sunday 9th September
In the meantime, there are some lovely activity sheets to help celebrate Dear Zoo‘s very special birthday, which can find here.
Dear Zoo! what can I say? It has been part of our life for the last ten years, first discovered it with our older son, later enjoying it with our younger son. A true classic.
My son loved Dear Zoo when he was a toddler, we read it a number of times daily (until I hid it for a little while so we could have a little break) as he now approaches five he is enjoying reading it to his baby sister.
Thanks Damyanti for retweeting this – somehow I managed to miss it! My memory of Dear Zoo is just that, a memory, because SOMEONE STOLE OUR COPY! Or, more likely, it got bored, sprang limbs, and went for a walk. Or, even more likely, it fell victim to my general lack of tidiness. This was several years ago now, which means that while three of my children have known and loved it, my fourth has been sadly and unfairly deprived. Of course we’ve borrowed it from the library, but it’s never been quite the same. So if anyone (sob) would like to give me (sob) another (sob) copy (sob), and even better a signed one (sob, sob) I’d be very grateful.
I picked up a copy of this in a charity shop whilst we were away in Dorset – it’s a pretty dog eared copy but my 2 year old loves it. He always has to turn to the page with the monkey so Daddy will do an impression. It will always remind me of the caravan in Weymouth now. Sam @happyhomebird x
This is the 2.5-year-old Jasmine reading “Dear Zoo” in Chinese….
Well, she could not really read the work, but she memorized all the plots.
http://youtu.be/pqfQNqOEbiQ