Mr. Peek and the Misunderstanding at the Zoo - Hardcover

Waldron, Kevin

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0763645494 ISBN 13: 9780763645496

Publisher: Templar, 2010

Synopsis

Poor old Mr. Peek the zookeeper has a bad start to his day. Will he notice what has gone wrong, or will he spread confusion throughout the zoo?

When Mr. Peek puts on his son’s jacket by mistake, he starts to air all his insecurities as he goes on his daily rounds at the zoo. But unbeknownst to Mr. Peek, all the animals think he is talking about them! How will the unfortunate misunderstanding be cleared up? This debut picture book from a stunning talent—winner of a Bologna Ragazzi Award—combines hilarious, distinctive illustrations with a fantastic story about how easily insecurities can spread.

About this title

About the Author

Kevin Waldron loves to draw animal characters, so when his sketchbook became a paper zoo, he created Mr. Peek to take care of them all. Kevin Waldron lives in London.

Reviews

Kindergarten-Grade 2—Poor Mr. Peek thinks he has suddenly gained a tremendous amount of weight when he puts on his zookeeper jacket and a button pops off. As he makes his morning rounds, he complains to himself about how fat and wrinkled he is. "Oh, woe is me! You're getting very fat," he despairs aloud. "None of the animals even like you!" he mutters as he passes the giraffes. He is so sorry for himself that he does not notice that the zoo animals are worried because they think he is talking to them. Luckily, he returns home to discover that he had inadvertently switched jackets with his son. Feeling better now that his clothes fit, Mr. Peek makes his rounds again, this time reassuring himself (and the relieved animals) that everything is fine. Waldron's digital-media illustrations humorously convey the alarmed expressions of the animals while the quirky font and creative text placement reinforce Mr. Peek's stream-of-consciousness muttering as he wanders through the zoo. Pair this with Peggy Rathman's Good Night, Gorilla (Putnam, 2002) for a fun storytime about clueless zookeepers.—Martha Simpson, Stratford Library Association, CT
(c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

In Waldron's debut, published in the U.K. in 2008, Mr. Peek the zookeeper finds his uniform jacket much too tight one morning, and his disgruntlement almost spoils everyone's day. You're getting very fat, he tells himself, and a nearby hippo looks aghast, thinking he's talking about her. The elephants hear him grumble, Look how wrinkly you are, and the giraffes get paranoid at his muttering, None of the animals even like you. When Mr. Peek discovers he has mistaken his son's green jacket for his own (which fits just fine), his mood lifts. He strolls through the zoo a second time, speaking in brisk affirmatives and the animals sigh with relief. Waldron, whose digital caricatures and landscapes suggest fastidiously colored-in pencil doodles, pictures Mr. Peek as a lanky, mustachioed John Cleese type. Mr. Peek plods at first, then silly-walks with glee. Although he is clownish, both his bad and good attitudes are contagious. While Waldron's comical story may have kids repeating Mr. Peek's favorite expression of dismay—Oh, poop!—it also serves as an excellent reminder to practice optimism in words and deeds. All ages. (May)
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Edition details

• Publisher: Templar
• Publication date: 2010
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0763645494
• ISBN 13: 9780763645496
• Binding: Hardcover
• Illustrator: Waldron Kevin
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 48