If you are looking for zoo books for preschool aged kids you need to read this. I put together a list of my favorite books for preschoolers that specifically take place at the zoo. 

Zoo Day by Anne Rockwell is a well-written book about a little boy and his family who take a trip to the zoo for the first time.

• It beautifully lays out what a zoo day might look like.
• Author describes going to the different animal habitats and what the little boy sees at each exhibit.
• She also does a great job at including animal facts organically in a fiction book.
• The illustrations are beautiful and very realistic. 

 

My Heart is Like a Zoo

• The illustrations are absolutely amazing. The author manages to make 21 different animals out of heart shapes.
• The book is a HUGE metaphor. It compares the character’s heart to the many zoo animals: “eager as a beaver, steady as a yak.”

Good Night Gorilla

This is a well-loved book by so many families. As the zookeeper locks up for the night, he says goodnight to each animal, but he doesn’t know that the gorilla has taken his keys and is letting all of the animals out.

• vibrant pictures
• simple text
• and a sweet story that your preschooler will love.

Two at the Zoo

It is about a little boy who goes to the zoo with his grandpa and they count all the animals they see.

• This is a counting book
• Has a variety of animals and some that are less common like eagles and warthogs
• Colorful pictures
• Rhyming 

NEVER, EVER SHOUT IN A ZOO

The little girl in this story finds out that if you shout in the zoo, you might scare the bear who will charge through his cage. And once the bear gets out, there is no telling what other animals will escape.

• This book is really sweet
• It has a lot of repetitive text which is great for building vocabulary
• A great rhyme scheme

IF ANYTHING EVER GOES WRONG AT THE ZOO

Leslie goes to the zoo every Saturday and each time she visits, she tells the animal handlers that if anything ever goes wrong at the zoo they can bring the animals to her house. One day, it rains really hard and things start to go wrong at the zoo. So, of course, the zookeepers remember what Leslie said and they bring the animals to Leslie’s house.

• Watercolor pictures are beautiful and very realistic.

Zoo Books

Let me know what you think of these books and if you have any book recommendations about the zoo, leave them in the comments.