Reviews for Quirky Kids' Zoo:
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"In her latest children's book, Quirky Kids' Zoo, Mississippi writer Pat Brannon takes youngsters on an imaginary excursion to an unforgettable menagerie where the inhabitants never cease to amuse, captivate or surprise. Written to impact young, impressionable minds and tailored to suit short attention spans, Brannon's book will entertain so well that parents and teachers might forget it is actually educational. Delightfully illustrated by Jimena Pinto-Kroujiline, Quirky Kids' Zoo capably engages the inquisitive nature of children, whether they still enjoy hearing a bedtime story or have already developed a love for reading."
Book reviewer: Greg Freeman, editor
www.southernedition.com
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Children’s author succeeds again to educate, enlighten
If I’d had a copy of Pat Brannon’s “Quirky Kids’ Zoo” half a century ago, it would have made learning to count a lot more fun.
That’s no surprise. It’s what Brannon does best.
She writes books that not only entertain and capture young readers’ imaginations, but also help educate and mold characters.
She did it first in “Filthy Farley O’Charlie McBarley,” a delightful story of a third-grade boy whose outward appearance and not-so-pleasant odor make him the target of young bullies who taunt and tease him before learning an important lesson.
Brannon’s also taken her show on the road, talking to students of all ages about the evils of bullying.
In “Food Fight Frenzy,” Brannon teaches young readers that even in places like the school cafeteria, the world needs more leaders and fewer followers.
Kids (and adults) reading “Quirky Kids’ Zoo” will have their imaginations fueled by images of elephants engaged in a game of leap frog with tiny ants.
What a fun visual! And that would be true even if the elephants weren’t wearing polka-dot pants and the ants didn’t have crazy, colorful coiffures.
And folks, that covers only two pages of the book.
In Brannon’s zoo, nothing is “normal.” And that’s one of the things that makes her book so wonderful.
There are snoring gators, skating gorillas, sad and silent lions, waterskiing buffaloes, mountain climbing sea otters toting backpacks, and so many more amazing animals to make any reader’s journey through the zoo a quirky one.
And in addition to the fun Brannon’s words and Jimena Pinto-Kroujiline’s illustrations offer readers, they might just learn a lot about numbers.
Pinto-Kroujiline, of the United Kingdom, contacted Brannon through Facebook and told her she would love to illustrate one of her books.
“I loved her work,” Brannon said of Pinto-Kroujiline’s colorful illustrations.
For a decade, Brannon was a substitute teacher in grades K through 12 in Amory Public Schools. She makes her home in the Bigbee community near Amory.
Book reviewer: Reporter Leslie Criss
Northeast Mississippi Daily Journal
Tupelo, MS
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I found no flaws in Quirky Kids' Zoo, though I thought it should be Quirky Animals' Zoo, since it's the animals that are a bit strange. However, the author pointed out she meant that it's a quirky zoo for kids, so how you read the title makes all the difference. This beautiful full color book was designed to teach young children counting as the story unfolds. Written in lyrical rhyme, it sure is fine. (Yeah, I know, my rhymes aren't that great, but Pat's are!) Generally, rhyming books aren't good, most authors don't know how to make the meter work, but Pat Brannon does. Maybe it's her musical upbringing. Those that know music seem to be able to do beautifully metered rhymes. The illustrations by Jimena Pinto-Kroujiline are perfect for this book. If you have children or grandchildren that are learning to count, get them this moderately priced gem. It'll be fun for you too. Some of the pictures and rhymes will make you laugh out loud. In preparation for reviewing this book, I spoke with the author a number of times, she had me laughing most of the time, she's quite the fun, quirky character. When I asked for a quote for this review, here's what she replied:
Wonderful, weird, and wacky should give you clues.
You're going to have fun before your day is through.
A cow might lick a lollipop or a birddog sing the blues.
You might see most anything at the Quirky Kids' Zoo.
Book reviewer: David Broughton
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Pat Brannon Spotlight Review:
Do you enjoy reading books with your children? We do in our household and I love when Bubba tries to read to Pumpkin and Sweet Pea. I am always looking for new and interesting books to add to my children's collection. I especially like the books that are easier for Bubba to read and that help him with his reading skills. I came across Pat Brannon who is a author of children's books several months ago and had been talking with her about possibly setting up a review of her new book "Quirky Kids' Zoo".
I have to say that I Loved reading this book with Bubba and Pumpkin! It is a very cute book for kids and is one that can be used with kids that are beginning to read. It is a very bright and colorful book. The boys and I were loving the crazy different animals in the zoo and the silly things they were doing. Bubba's favorite animal in the book was the Bats and Pumpkins was the Lions.
I think this book would make a great addition to any child's book collection. Make sure you go and visit
Pat and check out her books and get one for your children today. I guarantee if you get "Quirky Kids Zoo" you will Love it as will your kids.
Book reviewer: Andersons Angels
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You Can Count On This Zoo.
How do you teach a child numbers?
I would suggest a counting book. This Quirky Kids' Zoo is a counting book.
Pat Brannon's inventive text will lure the children in, but the illustrations by Jimena Pinto-Kroujiline will lure the children in too.
I assume they will go through this book time and again. I know as an adult I did. It has an easy going style that will make your children count with you again and again.
The magic of this book is animals doing interesting things like elephants wearing polka-dot pants or zebras cooking burgers and fries. Any adult will be thrilled with this presentation and its delivery.
Bennet Pomerantz
AUDIOWORLD
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If you can’t take your children over to the wonderful Turtle Back Zoo (http://www.turtlebackzoo.com) for some reason, take a trip to the Quirky Kids’ Zoo with this delightful tale. Essentially a whimsical counting book, the Quirky Kids’ Zoo brings young readers on a charming, animal-filled numbers lesson starting with one lone polar bear (wearing pink tennis shoes!) all the way up to 25 French poodles dancing the can-can. There’s a light, humorous touch in the writing — “Have you ever seen 16 goldfish play guitars?” — which is matched in the bright, fun-filled illustrations. In addition to simply reading the story and counting, you could spend lots of time pointing out different colors and witty hidden details in the pages. And when you can get over to the Turtle Back, which I highly recommend, you and your kids can look for animals doing zany things! (http://www.amazon.com/Quirky-Kids-Zoo-Pat-Brannon/dp/1933300833)
Book reviewer: Jennifer Niederhoffer
The Alternative Press: New Jersey's Daily Hyperlocal Newspaper
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Quirky Kids' Zoo
Author: Pat Brannon
Reviewed by Fran Lewis
Take a tour of the most amazing and unique zoo in the world. You have heard or have been to the Bronx Zoo or even the San Diego Zoo, but I bet you have never ever been to the one and only Quirky Kids' Zoo created and invented by author Pat Brannon and illustrated and brought to life by Jimena Pinto-Kroujiline. So, let's begin our tour by paying your admission fee and joining the tour group. Hope you have your walking shoes on, camera at hand or cell phone to take some great pictures. You don't want to miss a thing. I am your guide and reviewer Fran Lewis and welcome to the tour.
Welcome everyone and let me tell you something about this zoo for kids. This is an exciting place to take children to visit and for parents to learn something about the many kinds of animals that are here and have courses much more. You will not see the usual sites that you might expect. No, lions and tigers in cages. No seals or elephants or snake houses. What will you see? Let's enter together and make sure you have your cameras ready.
Ever see a polar bear wearing pink shoes? Look over to your right as you enter the zoo and take a look at her. Isn't she gorgeous? Wouldn't you like a pair just like those for yourself or join her in a game of tennis? Stay in line please and next I would like to point out our two special gorillas that can skate and further down the road the most agile and adorable four tigers that can jump rope or even Double Dutch. Or course my favorite and I am not saying it has to be yours are the 11 kangaroos growing flowers. Imagine creating their own garden. I would love to know the secret of growing such beautiful flowers. Imagine 19 brown camels walking in purple high heels, and 24 pelicans marching in a zoo band. The entertainment is great and the songs are quite great from One Republic, to Jennifer Lopez and maybe even some rap. What more could you ask for? Step lively everyone as I show you the next sight of 25 French Poodles dancing the can-can. I bet you want to join in and get in the can-can line. I know I do.
As I take you on this tour and you see the beautiful and unique sights, remember to look at the pictures that are so beautifully illustrated helping to make the book come to life. But, there is much more that you can learn from your tour. There are many other exhibits and animals to see but if I tell you about all of them it will spoil your fun reading this great book and visiting the zoo on your own.
Before I take you back to the front gate, I want everyone to know that you can learn how to count from reading this book. You can learn the many different animals and how to recognize them and even read their names. You can learn about action verbs since all of the animals are doing something special like dancing, racing, jumping or even marching. So, visit this Quirky Kids' Zoo and maybe come up with some animals you might want the author to add if she decides to add some more exhibits to this exciting place. For those young, old and just anyone who wants to smile and have some fun, read this great book, visit the zoo and definitely take your own tour.
Can you name all of the animals on the cover now that you have had your tour? Can you remember how many of each the author put on each page? Make your own Quirky Zoo and see what animals you might like to put.
I five this book: Five Gold Stars
Fran Lewis: Reviewer
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Great book! Your kids will love it!
The new picture book, `Quirky Kids' Zoo', which was written by Pat Brannon and illustrated by Jimena Pinto-Kroujiline, is a fun foray into an imaginary zoo. At this zoo, animals don't just sit behind the cages and stare at visitors, they put on a show! From skating gorillas to water-skiing buffaloes, these animals are sure to appeal to your child's sense of humor.
The illustrations that accompany the rhyming text are colorful and cute. Each animal was drawn with quite a bit of personality, so your child will never get bored while flipping through the pictures. As for the rhymes, they flow well and tell the story without seeming contrived. The rhythm is good, so parents who read this aloud will find the experience pleasant. I know some parents are weary of rhyming stories because they have read too many that feel forced, but this book is truly a pleasure to read.
For those parents who want reading time to not only be entertaining, but educational as well, `Quirky Kids' Zoo' will meet both of those demands. Each page teaches a number, starting with the number one and progressing up to number twenty-five. The numbers refer to each group of animals, so your child will have fun counting the animals on each page. They probably won't even realize that they are learning their numbers, but you will! This is a great book to read together with your child, so that you can reinforce the number concepts and make reading time an interactive experience.
Reviewer: Maranda Russell
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Reviewed by Karen P. for ReadersFavorite.com
In Pat Brannon's book, Quirky Kids Zoo, children are taken into a zoo by the shore where there are French poodles and pelicans, polar bears wearing tennis shoes, kangaroos that grow flowers and giraffes that play hop scotch. There are gorillas, monkeys and soft-furred porcupines. Children can count four tigers jumping rope or seven elephants in polka-dot pants. Ever heard of snoring alligators or lions who forget how to roar? You'll meet all of these creatures in your tour of the Quirky Zoo.
The illustrations in this book will delight young children and will certainly hold their interest as the words are read. The child can count the animals and parents/caretakers can encourage the child to spot the name of the animal as the word is read by the parent.
Ms. Brannon has used colorful words and images for the imagination of the preschool child. After reading the book, a teacher might encourage a child to stretch her/his imagination by drawing other colorful images which could potentially be put into a book.
I found this book to be a delightful read and believe that all preschool children would find it entertaining. Aside from a few stretches in rhyming, it is an imaginative, creative and fun book to share with both boys and girls. It is one which children might ask to have read time and again. In fact, since the dialogue is short, a child might be able to memorize the words and develop early reading skills for a boost into kindergarten.
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With my son loving animals and being, well, quirky I knew this book would suit him well but didn’t know how much I would enjoy it.
This children’s book takes its readers on a trip to a crazy zoo with polar bears wearing shoes, bats flying over cats and many more silliness you’ll need to read about. When I first handed this book to William in the store he quickly started naming all the animals pictured on its cover and even though the zebra wears an apron he could identify it easily.
Kids need a little quirkiness in their life and this book, although whimsical and outrageous in its drawings and story line, parent and child of almost any age will love going to the zoo even on a rainy day with the Quirky Kids’ Zoo.
Be sure to visit, read and delight in what this book has to offer.
Thanks for reading,
Book reviewer: Sarah Butland
www.sarahbutland.com
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I love the graphics. Straight up, they are colorful, eye-catching and definitely fun. True, this book may rate a reading level for ages 9-12 (because of the vocabulary; the words are not all simple to sound out), but the concept certainly isn't going to be over the heads of preschoolers and kindergarteners. Even first graders will enjoy it. I found the text to be, well, quirky and playful. Children will love seeking the critters on each page and counting out loud with their parents. I was really impressed with this highly creative counting book. Well done.
Book Reviewer: Lisa Barker (Biblio Reads)
Rating: OUTSTANDING (Highest rating given)
ttp://biblioreads.blogspot.com/2011/07/quirky-kids-zoo-ages-0-4-4-5.html
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Hi! Welcome to a different kind of zoo. We’re going to see some strange sights. What’s that you say? What kind of strange sights? Well, never fear, there’s nothing scary here.
Do you have you camera ready? You can take pictures of different things here. What’s different here? Look over there; did you ever see porcupines with fur so soft? Let’s walk down this walk. Look over there. See the elephants playing leapfrog with the ants? See the gorillas roller skating? There’s a lot to take pictures of in this quirky zoo!
Children and adults both will love this book by Pat Brannon. Children will love to laugh at the Quirky Kids’ Zoo’s inhabitants. They will love the fact that they can help read the book by counting. Adults will love the rhyming story because it teaches kids to count from one to twenty five. Both parents and children will love the imaginative and silly antics (like gardening kangaroos) of the inhabitants. This interactive book makes reading time fun!
The brightly painted illustrations by Jimena Pinto-Kroujiline brings this delightful rhyming story to life.
I loved reviewing this children’s book and highly recommend it. It’s so imaginative and just a pleasure to read. From beginning to end, the Quirky Kids' Zoo kept a smile on my face!
Book reviewer: Deb Hockenberry
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www.sarahbutland.com 
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