The Way to the Zoo by John Burningham
Once again, John Burningham gives us a brilliant picture book that perfectly captures the imagination and internal life of a child. The Way to the Zoo hits the shelves as the 50th anniversary of Chitty Chitty Ban Bang is being celebrated, marking an amazingly long and fruitful career that I hope will continue on.
In The Way to the Zoo we meet Sylvie, who, just before she falls asleep, discovers a door in the wall of her bedroom that wasn't there before. She decides to take a look at in in the morning, but she is late for school and forgets about it until it's time for bed. When she finally gets around to investigating, she discovers a ong corridor that leads to a heavy door that leads to the zoo!
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Burningham is brilliant because he's so matter-of-fact with his storytelling. As the Kirkus review so eloquently put it, "Burningham's appeal lies in his ability to invent a fantasy scenario available only to young children, accomplishing it again here with consummate grace."