D. Martin, "Anthony Browne", in Douglas Martin, The Telling Line: Essays On Fifteen Contemporary Book Illustrators (Julia MacRae Books, 1989), pp.279–90.

Zoo” by Anthony Browne by is really a sad picture book about going to the zoo with your family. A boy is telling the story through his perspective by reading the text but I think if you were to look at the pictures, you can see many different perspectives taken place in the book. It starts of with a each member of the family has their own portrait; similar to “Willy’s Pictures”. By looking at their facial expressions you can feel through personality coming through the pictures. The first one I noticed was the dad with a stern look on his face. Then the boy, who is the narrator, is in a calm manner while his brother is smiling a fake smile and his mother looking really sad. It’s a story about how a family goes to the zoo and when the boy who goes to sleep at night remembers a dream that he was behind bars, trapped, maybe living a life he didn’t want to. He pondered if animals could have dreams like him. The character made a connection to the animals because he feels the same way as the animals. Browne won the Kate Greenaway Award for Gorilla, a hit in England and America, as was his Willy the Wimp. In this sequel, the timid gorilla-youth is still the butt of the big bullies wherever he Continue reading » John's dad always acts young: he wears trendy clothes, frequently changes his hair-style, and loves pop-music. But one day he becomes ill, and becomes even younger, and finds out what it's like to be a big baby. Anthony Browne is an internationally acclaimed author and illustrator of children's books with over forty titles to his name including Gorilla and Willy the Wimp. He was born in Yorkshire and studied graphic arts at Leeds Art College, working as a medical illustrator and an illustrator of greetings cards before his first book was published in 1976. He has gone on to win numerous awards including the CILIP Kate Greenaway Medal and the Hans Christian Andersen Award.Browne's artwork is, as always, terrific, but the concept is pretty depressing. The author is obviously no fan of zoos, and some readers may find the book a bit too manipulative or preachy. I'm thinking it would certainly provoke discussion, though younger children may find a few of the images too disturbing. So who is the Minotaur of this zoo-labyrinth? Is it the father? I believe it’s the father AND the gorilla, who is an absolutely pitiful creature. We don’t even see the gorilla’s face, just the hunched over, completely withdrawn, pathetic figure of a magnificent wild creature with beautiful reddish fur. Find out the cost of entry for a zoo near you. Can you use the price list to make up some word problems?

A father tells his son that "things [are] going to change," as the boy watches the teakettle turn into a striped cat, the spout of the sink become a nose, and a soccer ball lose its Continue reading »Browne’s distinctive illustrations can be read even more deeply than the text, providing extensive insights into his views on captive animals, bars and cages. When their dog goes missing, Cy and Poppy play hide and seek to distract themselves. Poppy counts to ten and looks for Cy - but she can’t find him anywhere. But then there’s a rustling from the woods – maybe someone else can help her find him…? Make a list of ‘for’ and ‘against’ arguments about keeping animals in zoos. Could you have a class debate to discuss the issue?? (see Resources below)

The final sentence shows the reader that the boy narrator has finally started to think about the ‘humanity’ of the animals. He’s just starting to look outside the concerns of his own family. Anthony Browne: Children's Laureate 2009–11". Children's Laureate (childrenslaureate.org.uk). Booktrust. Retrieved 28 September 2013.Former U.K. Children’s Laureate Browne has always been interested in primates, as books like Gorilla and his Willy the Chimp series have made clear. Now, the static nature of a counting book allows Continue reading » Strauss explores ``the theme of metamorphosis in fairy tales'' in this stunning collection of 12 dramatic monologues by familiar fairy tale characters at a moment of crisis or confrontation. The Continue reading »