The great escape from City Zoo - Hardcover

Riddle, Tohby

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0207189544 ISBN 13: 9780207189548

Publisher: HarperCollins, 1998

Synopsis

An anteater, an elephant, a turtle and a flamingo escape from City Zoo, and cunningly diguised "so that they blend in", enjoy freedom in New York, although they have to use their wits to stay out of the clutches of the zoo keepers.

About this title

Review

Many years ago, in a daring escape still talked of in zoos worldwide, an elephant, an anteater, a turtle, and a flamingo went "over the wall" at the city zoo. This is their story, spun tersely but dramatically in simple language, accompanied by strangely compelling monochromatic illustrations that reference pop culture icons from Edward Hopper's Nighthawks to King Kong. Young children might not be ready for the obvious parallels drawn between prisons and zoos, but the gentle humor and marvelous pictures will draw them into the story. Each of the animals, except the flamingo, is eventually recaptured--the anteater when he faints in front of a taxidermist's, the turtle when he falls on his back in a truck stop and is unable to get up--but their experience as fugitives makes for fun children's reading. No one knows what happened to the flamingo (unconfirmed sightings include a grainy illustration that resembles the loch ness monster) but in the annals of zoo history, he lives on as a symbol of freedom and hope. It's easy to see why this book was short-listed for the Children's Book Council of Australia Picture Book of the Year Award. (Click to see a sample spread. Copyright 1997 by Tohby Riddle. With permission of the publisher, Farrar, Straus and Giroux.) (Ages 4 to 8) --Richard Farr

About the Author

Tohby Riddle lives with his family in Australia, where he is a cartoonist for The Sydney Morning Herald and other publications.

Edition details

• Publisher: HarperCollins
• Publication date: 1998
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0207189544
• ISBN 13: 9780207189548
• Binding: Hardcover