When I was a child, my favorite book was... because....

Good morning everyone, Zebee and the gang here today. We, rather our boss Joy, decided to participate in the “Great Books Blog Tour” this week.

Each day has a different topic of discussion about books. Today’s is “When I was a child, my favorite book was... because....” Several of the animals at the V Zoo wanted to share, so here they are.

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Mori the okapi: That’s easy. My favorite is “Zooprise Party / Fiesta Zoorpresa” because it’s about all of us celebrating my birthday.

Lito the gerenuk: I like “Rainbow Sheep” by Kim Chatel. I think that girl Genevieve is pretty cool.

Elvis the king vulture: I like the stories my mother used to tell me about visiting with the Mayan gods. You know, in ancient times we were the messengers to the gods. Maybe some of us still are…Of the stories our boss Joy has read my favorite one was “There’s a Spider in My Sink!” by Bill Kirk. I liked all the factoids he had in the book. I learned a lot about spiders.

Honey the giraffe: I like “Little Man in the Map” by E. Andrew Martonyi. I learned a lot about the USA and the pictures were great.

Star the giraffe: “Maybe We Are Flamingos” by Sue Thurman. I just thought the babies were cute.

Boris the bear: I like Shari Lyle-Soffe’s book “Nothing Stops Noah.” I like the way he got all the animals back in their cages.

Ringo the bongo: Mine are the ones by Donna Shepherd about Topsy Turvy Land. I really like Dotty.

Fred the peacock: I like Margot Finke’s book, “Rattlesnake Jam.” She’s so funny.

Jabari the leopard: Mine is Lea Schizas book, “Bubba and Giganto.” I can identify with Bubba.

Okay, so there you have them. As for mine, well, there are just so many books to choose from, but I’d have to say “Frankie the Walk and Roll Dog” by Barbara Techel. That Frankie sure has spunk.
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posted by Zebee aka Joy Delgado
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Books Go Beyond Reading

Zooprise Party / Fiesta Zoorpresa book trailer is here!

Hi everyone in Bloggerville. Today I get to share our new book trailer with you. That's right, my boss Joy got Kim Chatel to create one of her great book trailers for "Zooprise Party / Fiesta Zoorpresa".

So, with out any furter ado, here it is.



Wasn't that terrific! Did you see me near the end? Please let us know what you think by posting a comment.

See you Sunday with more zoo news. Now, what did I do with that book I was reading? . . . Oh yes, I left it under the tree by the barn.

The lighting of the Christmas tree at the ‘V Zoo’

Boy! Did we have a great Christmas lighting party. Everyone came. Margot Finke was here as were Donna Shepherd, Jennifer Gladen, Kevin Collier, Barbara Techel, Kim Chatel, Sue Thurman, Shari Lyel-Soffe, Dianne Sagan and Lanaia Lee. My boss Joy got us a beautiful tree and along with all her friends and zookeepers, they decorated the tree.

But, as this is a zoo, animals do unpredictable things. First Billy got into the act. He wanted to put the star on top of the tree. Well, Star thought she should, after all it is her name. Star had it in her mouth ready to place it when Billy climbed up her neck, grabbed it and took off. He almost knocked the tree down in the process. It took Jabira to stop him. Ever since Billy woke him up that night by jumping on him in his exhibit, Billy’s been afraid he’ll do something to him. So, when he approached Billy, Billy dropped the star and slinked away back to his mother.
When that was all settled, then Fred and Elvis started arguing about who should turn on the lights. Well, I guess you could say it was a total ZOO!

Thanks for all who came and for those who read and follow our, um, my blog.

Wishing you all a very Merry Christmas! See you Sunday with more zoo news from around the world. I’m taking Christmas day off.

Rainbow Sheep

Hi everyone in Bloggerville. Zebee here. Yes I’m back, at least for today.
We have a very special treat for you. Kim Chatel, a friend of my boss Joy, wrote a book about a rainbow and sheep. Anyway, Susan Steephenson wrote a review of the book and we are going to share it with you here. So, sit back and read all about ‘Rainbow Sheep’ by Kim Chatel.
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Rainbow Sheep by Kim Chatel

Review by Susan Stephenson (http://www.coffscoastwriters.com/)

What do you do to cure a bored, lonely rainbow? In Kim Chatel’s latest book, Rainbow Sheep, Genevieve the shepherdess tells him tales that tickle him into happy tears. Those colourful tears transform her flock from grey and dirty brown, into rainbow sheep.

The delightful illustrations in this picture book come from Chatel’s own fiber art. There is a section Felting for Fun, after the main story, where Chatel explains how children can make a rainbow sheep of their own. What a great idea to combine the fun of reading with the joy of craft!

In a recent interview with Mayra Calvani of Blogcritics Magazine, Kim Chatel said “Sometimes it's hard to pick one voice out of the noise.” With Rainbow Sheep, Chatel has proved she’s one writer whose voice can rise above the flock.

Chatel has an instinctive understanding of what makes a picture book work. From the muted colours of the felted art work, to the gentle humour of the text, Chatel has presented the reader with a satisfying package. She uses simple, yet expressive, language – the clouds were heavy and grey, like the belly of a sleepy kitten, with her own deft touches of humour – the sheep were pleasantly steaming in the sun.

Quirky and delightful, Rainbow Sheep will be an asset to any school, library or home bookshelf. As a gift for a special child, it could begin a fascinating hobby. If you purchase Rainbow Sheep from Chatel’s own web site, http://www.kimchatel.com/ , you receive a signed copy of the book and a felted sheep of your own. You can also link to a movie about felting and enter a children’s short story contest.
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Pretty cool, huh? I’m going over to http://www.kimchatel.com/ right now so I can get a signed copy of the book and my own pet sheep. I don’t think I can make my own rainbow sheep, seeing as I don’t have hands, so getting one made by Kim will be great. See you over there.