Ilene Cooper (Booklist, Sep. 1, 2004 (Vol. 101, No. 1))
In this rollicking story, librarian Molly McGrew accidentally drives her bookmobile into the zoo, and then the fun begins! The animals draw close to listen to a Dr. Seuss story, and soon they begin stampeding "to learn all about this new something called reading." Many picture-book authors who try their hands at rhyme have less-than-stellar results. Here, the best part of the book is Sierra's handy way with a rhyming text that not only scans properly but also is both clever and full of images that will amuse children ("Tasmanian devils found books so exciting / That soon they had given up fighting for writing"). The wild animal goings-on offer illustrator Brown an opportunity to get away from his vaguely aardvarklike Arthur and create some real animals--in fact, about every animal one can think of. All the slaphappy art fits nicely into double-page spreads that allow the energetic action room to breathe. That's good because there are tons of things to look at, all in sunny colors. Not only are the animals reading books but they are also hugging them, licking the pictures off the pages, and trying their "hands" at writing. A wonderful advertisement for the joys of a literary life. Category: Books for the Young--Fiction. 2004, Knopf, $16.95, $18.99. PreS-Gr. 2.

Phyllis Kennemer, Ph.D. (Children's Literature)
Imagine the animals' surprise when Molly McGrew, the Springfield librarian, mistakenly drove her bookmobile into the zoo. Unperturbed, she brought out her chair and attracted an interesting assortment of listeners as she read The Cat in the Hat out loud. The word spread quickly and all of the animals rushed over to find out about this new something called reading. Rising to the occasion, Molly began distributing books in all directions. She found tall books for the giraffes, small books for the crickets, books in Chinese for the pandas, and waterproof books for the otters. The hyenas and snakes laughed together as they read books of riddles. Then Molly began teaching about treating books right. The boa constrictor had squeezed Crictor too tight and the termites devoured The Wizard of Oz. After a lot of reading, some of the animals decided they could be authors. The insects wrote haiku and the cheetah wrote a novel. The hippo's memoir won the Zoolitzer Prize. A branch library was needed. The animals began building it and Molly brought the books. The Zoobrary was so successful that visitors had to search for the animals in niches, nests, and nooks where they were happily reading their books. The snappy rhyming text is perfectly complimented with exuberant full-page illustrations featuring charming and curious animals as they discover the joys of reading with the vivacious Molly McGrew. A wonderful read-aloud. 2004, Knopf, $16.95. Ages 3 to 6.

Susie Wilde (Children's Literature)
Judy Sierra, a master of rhyming story books for young children, teams up with beloved, colorful illustrator Marc Brown and dedicates Wild About to Dr. Seuss. The story starts when Bookmobile Librarian Molly McGrew drives her bus into the zoo, and “By reading aloud from the good Dr. Seuss,/ She quickly attracted a mink and a moose.” A zany set-up? It’s just so wacky it works! For animals of all species begin stampeding “to learn all about this new something called reading.” This book is a clear reflection of Sierra’s passion and knowledge about rhyming, books, reading, young children and humor! The perfectly scanned lines and bright illustrations are filled with book references that will delight young readers as well as a rollicking playfulness loaded with subtleties for all age levels. A younger child will appreciate references to The Cat in the Hat, while older readers will note the hidden humor in the misspelled line: “llamas read dramas while eating their llunches.” In addition to the perfection of read aloud quality, the author honors and unites animal behaviors and characteristics with the kind treatment of books. Sierra takes an implausible situation and turns it into a possible reality, a story with sense about what books might inspire if they were put in animals’ hands, er, paws and trunks. It’s no surprise that this won the 2005 E.B. White Read Aloud award. 2004, Knopf, $16.95. Ages 3 to 8.

Kirkus (Kirkus Reviews, July 1, 2004 (Vol. 72, No. 13))
A rollicking, loving tribute to Dr. Seuss (to whose memory this is dedicated) and to books and libraries. Here's a rhyme that works, without clunking but with inspired silliness in the best Seussian meter. Librarian Molly McGrew, resplendent in hot-pink trousers and a tropical striped jacket, drives the bookmobile into the zoo, with delightful results. The animals become fascinated by reading, and by words, and she strives to satisfy them: tall books for the giraffes-titled Skyscrapers, Redwoods, and Basketball in Brown's clever take-books in Chinese for the pandas, "And llamas read dramas while eating their llunches." The insects write haiku, critiqued by the scorpion-not only a lesson in verse, but quite hilarious: the Dung Beetle writes: "Roll a ball of dung- / Any kind of poo will do- / Baby beetle bed." The scorpion sniffs, "Stinks." Brown's paintings, rich in pattern and detail and wonderful color, show graceful, cheery animals. A storytime spectacular. 2004, Knopf, 40p, $16.95. Category: Picture book. Ages 4 to 8. © 2004 Kirkus Reviews/VNU eMedia, Inc. All rights reserved.

Barbara B. Feehrer (Library Media Connection, January 2005)
This is a terrific book! The author and illustrator dedicated their unique creation to Theodor Seuss Geisel (Doctor Seuss), which certainly seems appropriate. Clever (almost Seuss-like) rhyming couplets tell the story of librarian Molly McGrew, who by accident drives her bookmobile into the zoo. By reading well-known children's books and finding appropriate books for each species, Molly gets all the animals interested in reading. There are textual or pictorial references to everything from Dr. Seuss to Nancy Drew and on to Harry Potter. Children should love this book as they watch all the different animals begin to appreciate reading their own favorite books. Also, many animals begin writing their own books, even if "the gazelle couldn't spell very well, (but) like everyone else, had stories to tell . . . ." What a great message and a truly enjoyable book! Wonderfully fresh paintings in a folk-art style illustrate this tale and display Marc Brown's artistic skill and versatility. Each page is bright and chock-full of amusing animals and all sorts of interesting details of the zoo environment. End papers are adorned with a Curious George-like monkey design. Highly Recommended. 2004, Alfred A. Knopf (Random House), 40pp., $16.95 hc. Ages 3 to 9.

Hope Morrison (The Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books, September 2004 (Vol. 58, No. 1))
It started the summer of 2002,/ When the Springfield librarian, Molly McGrew,/ By mistake drove her bookmobile into the zoo." So begins the latest poetic venture from folklorist and storyteller Judy Sierra. This uninhibited promotion of the joys of reading recalls, in galloping rhymed couplets, what happens when the zoo animals discover books for the first time, progressing from distant interest, as they listen to Molly reading from The Cat in the Hat, to stampeding curiosity, racing to the bookmobile "to learn all about this new something called reading." Though the literary references are aimed more at adults than at the youthful audience, this is well suited to that first story hour, when new nervous faces are assembled, waiting to hear what the librarian has to say. Both verbal and visual humor are thickly interwoven into the story, where hyenas read joke books and raccoons skim through Garbage Tips. What's more, the values sneaked into Sierra's tribute are very, well, valuable--that there is a book suited to each and every animal, that books must be well treated (the bunnies have "mucked up Goodnight Moon," "the termites devoured The Wizard of Oz"), that reading crosses over to writing (the insect haiku being subject to the scathing treatment of the scorpion reviewer). Marc Brown contributes wildly spirited and carefully detailed paintings to the story, capturing the assorted cast of zoo animals in a richly vibrant habitat. With a thick hand, he fills each spread to the edges with creatures furry and scaly, using a wide range of colors and textured applications and varying the time of day so as to slightly alter the backdrop. Young listeners will definitely want to have a closer look after storytime is over. (Reviewed from galleys) Review Code: R -- Recommended. (c) Copyright 2004, The Board of Trustees of the University of Illinois. 2004, Random House, 40p, $18.99 and $16.95. Ages 4-8 yrs.

Horn Book (The Horn Book Guide, Spring 2005)
Librarian Molly McGrew drives the bookmobile to the zoo where the enthusiastic animals literally and figuratively devour the books. After instilling some book etiquette, Molly helps the critters build a "Zoobrary." Brown's colorful illustrations show animals crawling all over the pages to get to the books. Sierra's rhyming text is just as lively as the art. Category: Picture Books. 2004, Knopf, 40pp, 16.95, 18.99. Ages 4 to 9. Rating: 3: Recommended, satisfactory in style, content, and/or illustration.

Wendy Snyder (The Kutztown Book Review, Fall 2006)
Molly McGrew, the local librarian, drives her bookmobile to the zoo one day. She begins to read stories and attracts the interest of all the animals. Soon the animals are voraciously reading books. Molly has to teach the animals proper book care since the snakes are constricting the books while the termites are consuming the books. Before you know it the animals become authors and deicide to open their own “zoobrary.” If you visit a zoo and can’t find any animals, it’s probably because they’re busy reading a great book! This wonderful read aloud is dedicated to Theodor Geisel by the author and illustrator (Marc Brown). It’s written similarly to Geisel’s rhyming style and includes humorous text that will amuse all ages and also includes vibrant illustrations. A fantastic book to introduce the joy of reading and the importance of proper book handling. Best presented as a read aloud in order to enjoy the language. Independent reading may cause some problems due to vocabulary level. A must have in any early elementary classroom! This was the recipient of the 2005 E.B. White Read Aloud Award. Category: Animal Story. 2004, Alfred A. Knopf, $16.95. Ages 3 to 8.