What's a Zoo Do?

Ray Doiron is an assistant professor in the Faculty of Education at the
University of Prince Edward Island and the Preschool to Grade 6
nonfiction reviews co-ordinator at Resource Links.

This informative and interesting exploration of zoos is a pleasure to
read. The book opens with the birth of an elephant in a zoo, and
gradually draws the reader into the daily lives of the various zoo
workers who care for animals and try hard to provide them with a
comfortable life. It then traces the history of zoos beginning with
Louis XIV’s zoo at Versailles, through to a time when animals who
seemed alike were kept in one large cage, to present-day zoos, where
teams of designers and scientists work together to create “natural”
habitats for animals. Information on the habits and habitats of the
animals appears alongside information on how zoos try to re-create those
habitats to make the animals’ lives as natural as possible.

Young readers will be particularly interested in the chapters on the
divergent work of “Zoo People” and the hope for even better
“Future Zoos.” The full-color photographs, historical photographs of
zoos, and imaginative, fun sidebars featuring interesting facts add
richness to the text. The detailed, two-page index makes any specific
subject area readily accessible. Recommended.