Midnight Madness at the Zoo, is a delightful children’s book that incorporates a love of basketball and animals. It’s an imaginative tale that explains why the animals at the zoo are always sleeping. If you are not a basketball buff, have no fear, there is a basketball vocabulary page at the end of the book, as well as other learning activities as extensions to the story.   It also teaches counting 1-10. 

Each night as the zoo closes, and the people go home, the animals get busy playing basketball.  They first warm up.  The elephants trumpet for the games to begin, for basketball they need 10 players.  So, polar bear, frog, monkey, camel, penguin, pig, giraffe, seal, mole, lion all join the game, while the 3 zebras referee.  They have to make it quick before the zoo keeper makes her rounds and catches them. 

This book is written for ages 4-8 years old and beautifully illustrated.  It introduces a wide variety of animals, typically of which are found at the zoo.  Activities at the end of the book include math and science activities.  My children enjoyed this book, and I would recommend them to anyone that loves animals and or basketball.  The book is available in paperback, hardcover, ebook and also in Spanish versions.

-Product review by Jen Altman, The Old Schoolhouse® Magazine, LLC, August, 2016