One of my FOL book sale finds, Zoe's Jungle is all about a child's imagination. Author and illustrator Bethanie Deeney Murguia shows us how Zoe and her sister, Addie, imagine themselves chasing through the jungle, periodically interrupted by their mother reminding them they have 5, 4, 3, 2, 1, and then 0 minutes left to play. "Is there no respect for the explorer and her quest?" Zoe laments.
She and Addie race against the clock to finish their chase through the jungle, and the time impositions add an element of excitement and intensity to their game of chase.
The pen, ink, and watercolor illustrations are sweet and simple. I enjoyed the use of the pattern from Addie's dress being used on the coat of the wild Addiebeast. Someone cleverly created Mom's countdown in a very large font, to show how intrusive it feels to the girls, while the rest of the story is told in normal font.
Zoe's Jungle is one of a trio of Zoe books by Murguia, so if it is to your liking, be sure to head for the library and check out Zoe's Room and Zoe Gets Ready.
This link takes you to the the About page on the author's website. She has included a wonderful little picture bio for young readers.
This link takes you to Amazon to purchase Zoe's Jungle.
I'm excited to add this to my classroom library - FOL for the win!
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