The Animal Mall

Rhyming text and illustrations depict a family's adventures at the Animal Mall.

Kindergarten-Grade 2-Modeled after the 19th-century folk song about a trip to an animal fair, this book brings the concept up to date. At the Animal Mall, Mom is encouraged to choose a birthday present for herself. The rhyming text is forced: "It was then that we shouted: 'Hurray!/Happy birthday, Mom! You're A-okay!/So choose something nice,/Don't think of the price!'/And Mom said, 'But we've got all day!'" Throughout the visit, the family members encounter a lot of zany creatures including an alligator at Al's Fridge Land, where one can purchase a green refrigerator. In the end, Mom decides that best of all was the fun day they spent together. Miller's illustrations, created on computer, are retro-70s all over; there's everything from lava lamps to little plastic trolls with hot-pink hair. Unfortunately, there's not enough in the text or art to merit purchase.
Meghan R. Malone, Turner Free Library, Randolph, MA
Copyright 2000 Reed Business Information, Inc.

The duo that created Santa Cows (1991) returns with a zany tale about a family that takes Mom to an animal mall on her birthday to choose a gift. The rhyming text describes the unusual sights and sounds the family encounters: a polar bear pedaling leisure wear, a wildebeest from the Far East simultaneously doing karate and wok cooking. There's the Rhino Gallery, Toucan's Rare Bookstore, and Croc's Deep Space Arcade, where the kids play video games. Miller's hard-edged, computer-generated illustrations, consisting of broad flat shapes of bold colors, give the book a high-tech look that meshes well with the glitzy mall theme. Although the scenes sometimes appear annoyingly busy, this too fits the frenzied atmosphere of a crowded mall. An amusing spoof of the mall culture that will appeal to both young animal lovers and young mall shoppers. Lauren Peterson
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