Title: The Weird, Wild and Wonderful Adventures of Austin the Zookeeper: Sloths
Author: Tammy Gegel
Illustrator: Andie Goodes
Publisher: AuthorHouse
ISBN: 979-8-8230-3090-8
Pages: 40
Genre: Illustrated Children’s Book / Animal Facts
Reviewer: Beth Adams
Pacific Book Review
What do you call a group of Sloths? A snuggle. How cute is that! These are some of the fascinating facts readers will learn as they page this creative children’s book by author Tammy Gegel titled The Weird, Wild and Wonderful Adventures of Austin the Zookeeper: Sloths.
As readers page through this book, they are transported to a Zoo where they meet the zookeeper, Austin. After an introduction to the various tasks performed to care for the animals in the zoo, a lesson about sloths begins. Throughout the rest of the book, readers are treated to many facts about this amazing animal. Sloths move very slowly for reasons stemming from their diet and metabolism, explained by a diagram of their stomach having four distinctive chambers to digest leaves, small branches and flowers while pooping only once a week. They also have two types of sloths, a two-toed and a three-towed animal, each with distinctive gestation times and after-birth caring times for their offspring. These, and many other details are brought to the readers in a way as if readers are a part of the presentation, resulting in a very deeply inspiring experience.
Along with the creative illustrations by artist Andie Goodes and galley text, are QR codes which when used with a smartphone or computer instantly link to animated clips of the animal in the wild, showing movements and revealing audio sounds, making this book come alive on the pages. The ending of the book includes a coloring book page to allow youngsters to bring to their imagination just what color they think a sloth would look like.
Written by Tammy Gegel, an author with decades of experience teaching youngsters, the informative and factual-laden language of this book will become a lasting memory about the wonderful world of sloths, and spark readers’ curiosity into the many roles a zookeeper must learn to care for the different animals in a typical zoo.
The Weird, Wild and Wonderful Adventures of Austin the Zookeeper: Sloths, is an ideal gift for a single-digit birthday or baby shower present and would be best as a printed version so readers can access the QR codes and draw in the outline coloring images. The combination of creativity, education, and multi-media QR codes makes this children’s book a best-in-class publication, and one not to miss. Austin, always holding the sloth as it hugs him, brings a warm-and-fuzzy feeling to the love people share with all sorts of unique animals and subliminally transfers that love to the children reading this marvelous book. I look forward to seeing what other zoo animals Austin might show us in other books. Blending fun facts with delightful storytelling, this story will spark imagination while teaching kids about one of nature’s most unusual creatures. Perfect for curious kids who love animals, laughter, and a little bit of the unexpected!
