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Using fiction to smash stereotypes 21/03/25
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The Way to the Zoo
Publisher: Red Fox
Sylvie is in bed one night when she notices a door in the wall of her bedroom that she’s never seen before. When she opens it, she finds another door, and through that door, finds herself in the zoo! Even more unexpectedly, the animals want to come back to Sylvie’s room with her – she can only bring the smaller ones through the door, of course. However, the penguins make a mess in the bathroom, the monkey steals fruit from the fruit bowl and some of the animals are just too smelly to have in her room. But one day, Sylvie forgets to close the door in the bedroom wall…
This bewitching and yet simple imaginative story taps into the dreamlike thoughts children have about connections to other places. Children will feel for the loveable baby elephant who is too big to come through the passageway, and love the originality of Sylvie wrapping the baby rhino in towels to keep it warm overnight. John Burningham’s sensitive treatment of children’s kindness and imagination is perfectly captured in this lovely picture book.
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John Burningham: a lifetime in books
John Burningham won our Lifetime Achievement Award in 2018. John Burningham has written and illustrated over 30 utterly wonderful picture books, which have won countless awards and affectionate praise over the years.
