Review Detail

THE MOONLIGHT ZOO is a lovely picture book read about pets and love. The story begins with Eva settling down for bedtime and wishing desperately to find her cat Luna, who has been missing for a couple days. Soon after she makes her wish, she begins to hear something from under her bed. When she goes to explore, she finds the Moonlight Zoo, a place for all lost pets and animals. As she searches the zoo along with the wolf zookeeper, they visit all the different animal habitats, but Luna doesn't seem to be anywhere. Luckily, there's another place to check, and Eva finds Luna just as it's closing time for the Moonlight Zoo.

What I loved: This book is visually stunning. The illustrations are full page and detailed, bringing the different habitats of the zoo to life with cut-outs on each page that lead from one to the next. This clever use of peek-throughs really added something unique to the story. The story itself was quite sweet and leads from one scene to the next. Whether young readers have a pet of their own or not, children will empathize with Eva and her journey to find her loved one. A happy ending and nighttime lighting make this a book that works well for a bedtime read.

The text can be lengthier on some pages, and together with the context, this picture book will work better for elementary school aged readers. The font was generally easy to read and grouped in paragraphs around the illustrations that make it easy for caregivers to see what to read next.

Final verdict: THE MOONLIGHT ZOO is a visually stunning picture book about missing loved ones and the magic of pets. Recommend for animal lovers, whether they have their own pets or not.