Fiona, Love at the Zoo by Zondervan

Fiona, Love at the Zoo Reviews

• 
  Tina

  This is a Cute and Fun Children's Book that I read to my twin boys. This was a fun book, and the pictures were so cute. My boys really enjoyed this book, and they loved the pictures. If your kid loves animals this is a great book for them. I received an ARC of this book. This review is my own honest opinion about the book like all my reviews are.
• 
  Alisha

  Sweet, charmingly illustrated rhyming book about Fiona the hippo observing lots of different families and pairs of animals showing affection to each other. This book would make for lovely bedtime reading by parents with their children!
  
  Thanks to Netgalley and Zonderkidz for this digital review copy.
• 
  Suzanne

  Fiona, beloved hippo of the Cincinnati Zoo has appeared in several books detailing her remarkable survival after being born two months early. This new title follows Fiona as she visits friends around the zoo and finds many different ways to express love. Giraffes entwine their necks. Monkeys groom each other. Swans swim together. Porcupines rub noses. Wherever she looks, Fiona sees signs of affection - but "her favorite love is back at home."
  
  Rhyming text points out that wallabies cuddle babies in their pouches while "chilly penguins peck and nestle." The illustrations show animals from red pandas to warthogs cuddling, cooing, and enjoying group hugs. Several of the images cleverly work in the shape of a heart; readers may see it in the necks of two swans beak to beak, or the trunks of two elephants. Other animals may pose like the peacocks or wrestle like the bears, but they are all showing their closeness in a way typical of their species.
  
  Richard Cowdrey has illustrated many other Fiona books including Fiona Helps a Friend and A Very Fiona Christmas. Fans will be happy to add another book about the world's favorite baby hippo to their shelves. Due for publication November 15th, in time for Christmas or to prepare for Valentine's Day early.
  
  I read an advance copy provided by the publisher for review purposes.
• 
  Diana N.

  My kids love the illustrations in this book!
  
  This book has easy rhyming throughout and shows love with many different animals. So many cute baby animals (the red pandas were my kids favorites) and of course who doesn't like Fiona the hippo. The bright colorful illustrationsin this book will definitely draw in the little ones.
  
  We can't wait for what Fiona will do next!
  
  Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for providing a copy of this ARC for an honest review.
• 
  Jessica

  We first discovered Fiona in a story at our local zoo last year. My son loved it so I hoped this one would be a hit as well.
  My son greatly enjoyed it!
  The illustrations are beautiful and the story itself kept him entertained. We both agree it is 5/5 stars!
• 
  Kaye

  I am a fan of the real Fiona. I followed her growth and care after she was born prematurely at the Cincinnati Zoo. I visited the Zoo and Botanical Gardens to see Fiona and hope now to return and see her new brother Fritz. This Fiona adventure focuses on Love at the zoo and features rhyming words. The cheery illustrations of many zoo animals perfectly accompany the story. Children can enjoy the story and animals whether or not they know Fiona is based on a real hippo. This is a book to read to small children of read by K-2 (and up). Thank you to NetGalley and Zonderkidz for an ARC in exchange for a review.
• 
  Danielle

  This is such a delightful picture book. I love all the Fiona books and Love at the Zoo is a perfect addition to the series. The illustrations are simply adorable and the story itself is simple and beautiful. Kids and adults alike will enjoy this immensely. A must for any animal lover's library.
  Thank you so much to Netgalley and Zonderkidz for an advance copy in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are entirely my own.
• 
  Alexis long *from the heart of a bibliophile lair*

  My daughter advising loves this story. We have a be few from Amazon as ebooks and when I showed her this one she loved it. Was an adorable book to read. 5 star book. Highly recommend it and go check out the other books in the series
• 
  Amber Wessies

  Great illustrations and a cute story about how different zoo animals show affection
• 
  K.A. Goodsell

  Fiona, Love at the Zoo is a children's picture book that showcases the way animals showcase love, but also allowed me to learn about how I absolutely peacocks and their dramatic poses - who knew?
  
  The cover artwork is beautiful, which reflects all of the illustrations throughout the pages.
  
  Meeting not only hippos, but giraffes, monkeys, swans, and more there's an array of animals to learn about. We follow Fiona as she learns about how other animals at the zoo show their love with each other.
  
  The artwork as mentioned about the cover earlier is stunning. The animals depicted are realistic, but also are shown in a way where they look in love and happy. Also, the red pandas and porcupines are adorable and now I want to hug one. New life goal!
  
  What a delightful children's book. Learning about different ways that animals share their love was really interesting! Some of which I didn't know - for instance giraffes entangling themselves in an embrace.
  
  5 Stars. Would recommend for any family with a little one or even a bit older kids as it'd be a great bedtime story that also children can learn about wildlife.
  
  Thanks to the publisher, QEB Publishing, an imprint of The Quarto Group, the author and NetGalley for providing me with an ARC copy to read and review. Review will also be posted to my blog (
  www.kagoodsell.com/book-reviews), GoodReads, TikTok (@unearthingeco), as well as NetGalley reviews.
• 
  Dione Basseri

  A simply rhyming picture book about how animals show affection, all guided by Cincinnati's most famous resident. NetGalley is loaded with books about Fiona, most of them early readers, so if your child gets attached to Fiona here, look forward to a progression of upcoming books to help your little one to read.
  
  The art style is very...chubby? Bubbly? Which matches the subject of Fiona, to be sure! For the most part, the animals are drawn with a nice level of realism (excepting the peacock's wings, which keep throwing me on looking back), plus rosy cheeks. It's the rosy cheeks that make me thing the animals are kind of bursting at all times. But it's consistent, and I think kids would enjoy it.
  
  Almost every page has a hidden or not-so-hidden heart, mostly made from cuddling animals themselves. My kid liked looking through and finding all the hearts, so I do wish the motif had been repeated on EVERY page, instead of it being absent from just a few.
  
  
  
  
  Advanced review copy provided by the publisher.
• 
  Sharon Tyler

  Fiona, Love at the Zoo by Richard Cowdrey is a picturebook scheduled for release on November 15 2022. Join your favorite hippo, Fiona, the adorable internet sensation from the Cincinnati Zoo and Botanical Gardens, as she visits her zoo friends and celebrates how love makes the world more beautiful. Learn with Fiona as she discovers how different animals show their affection and love.
  
  Fiona, Love at the Zoo does a great job of making the animal illustrations fun, cute, and welcoming to all age groups, but still looking realistic rather than completely cartoonish. It is a hard balance to reach, but I think Cowdrey does a good job here. The text is very accessible, and the rhymes are sweet and fun without being cloying. I loved getting a glimpses of so many of the Cincinnati Zoo's residents, and so many different behaviors we consider affection in their family units. I think this is well done, and I will admit to going back for a second look at the illustrations- they are just well done and adorable.
• 
  Hallpassreader Carrie Prock

  Fiona is a baby hippopotamus. She lives in a zoo with her mom. In the story she observes the other animals at the zoo and sees how they express love to each other.
  
  The illustrations in this book are top tier. They look accurately drawn but still have that cartoon-like whimsy. There are also a wide range of animals depicted. The more commonly known animals are mixed in with the lesser known animals. This makes the book very informative and educational. And I know the baby animals shown will be a big hit with all ages.
  
  As you flip through the book you forget all about Fiona being the main character. It feels like a surprise in the last pages of the book when you see her again. While the book gives sweet rhymes about the other animals, there is almost no information about hippos. I would have liked to have some information seeing that the main character and title of the book is a hippopotamus.
• 
  Bethany

  This delightful picture book brings us back to the zoo with Fiona and, through rich illustrations and sweet rhymes, explores the different ways that animals show each other love and affection. You can extrapolate the story into a discussion of how you and your family show and express love and affection for one another and for friends. This book would make a lovely gift and is perfect for reading at bedtime or anytime you want to curl up and snuggle with a little one.
  
  One of the fun things about Fiona books is that they are based on a real hippo at the Cincinnati Zoo. You can pair these books with photos and videos from–or even a trip to–the Cincinnati Zoo.
  
  This is another lovely addition to the Fiona collection.
  
  I received a copy of the book from Zonderkidz and NetGalley. All opinions are my own.
• 
  Carla

  My grandkids and I love the Fiona books. In this book, Fiona is wandering around the zoo visiting all her friends and seeing how they show love to one another. Love between parents and their offspring as well as adults. From the giraffes who entwine their necks, the monkeys grooming each other, swans swimming together and Porcupines rubbing noses, there is affection everywhere at the zoo. The illustrations are absolutely adorable and every time we read one of these books, we end up out on the internet looking at the zoo videos. The text is done in a rhyming way with an easy cadence to enjoy. The older two like taking turns reading to each other and the youngest one. If you have children who love animals, they will enjoy this book. It is also a great way to share your love for your children or grandchildren. I highly recommend the Fiona books. They are kid approved.
• 
  Jane

  Fiona is the cutest little hippo ever! In Fiona, Love at the Zoo, she sees that there is love all around the zoo, with each different animal showing their love in different ways.
  
  The illustrations in the book are beautifully detailed! They were all very enjoyable to look at and the animals were all so cute. I loved that the love portrayed in this story was not just romantic love but familial love as well. This story would be a great read-aloud during Valentine' s Day for young students to brainstorm and think about the ways that their families love them. I could see myself using this as an introduction for a writing lesson during the holiday.
  
  Sweet story, love Fiona! Thank you NetGalley and Zonderkidz for the advanced copy. All opinions are my own.
• 
  Karen Firstbrook

  Fiona, Love at the Zoo is an adorable children’s picture book that will be perfect to help young readers celebrate and appreciate love in all its forms This is another book in the Fiona series and I expect it will be well received by adults and children alike who are following Fiona’s story. The artwork is beautiful and follows Fiona through the zoo as she appreciates all the different ways that animals show love. From the giraffes and elephants to the warthogs and red pandas, each animal group has a unique way they show love to each other. The simple rhymes and classic illustrations are sure to delight all who read this book.
  Thank you to NetGalley and Zonderkidz for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.
• 
  Andrea Smith

  Fiona, Love at the zoo 
  
  I enjoyed watching Fiona the Hippo growing up in front of the camera and I am excited for this book. In this story, Fiona takes us on a tour of the zoo. We meet several interesting animals and learn how each animal shows their love.The stars of the show, for me, were the adorable and incredibly detailed animal portraits. This picture book is colorful and should hold your child's attention. This is a super sweet book that would be a great choice for any library. 
  
  
  Thank you, NetGalley and Zonderkidz, for providing me with a digital ARC for an honest review. 
• 
  Briel

  Fiona, Love at the Zoo, is a sweet rhyming tale of how animals show their love for one another accompanied by gorgeous pictures. Little (and big) kids will love the pictures of the adorable animals and all readers will appreciate the easy cadence and soft rhythms. The end strayed from the cadence a bit, which was a little jarring, but overall, a sweet tale for all animal lovers.
  
  Thank you to Zonderkidz and NetGalley for the advance electronic copy and the chance to review this adorable tale.
• 
  Ezra

  The Fiona books continue to be adorable and fun to read! They're popular with the kids at my library and it's good to see there will be more for them to read.
  
  My only grievance was with the fact that when some of the animal couples were shown one was given eyelashes (the first example I noticed was with the swan), I assume to show they were feminine, even though everything else about the illustrations was realistic and otherwise enjoyable.
  
  Thank you to NetGalley and Zonderkidz for making this available in exchange for an honest review!
• 
  Abigail Harris

  Aww, okay, this is adorable! Fiona and her family are a big deal on my family's home. The kids no matter the age, and even the adults love seeing their antics and the sweet behavior from them online which makes me eager to get this book in the future for my siblings.
  
  I voluntarily received and reviewed a complimentary ebook or physical copy of this book which I received from the author and/or publisher or blog tour coordinator All views expressed are only my honest opinion and are in no way influenced by others views or wishes.
• 
  Katie Belle

  I am such a huge Fiona, the hippopotamus, fan and I could not let this book slip by.
  
  The story follows Fiona through the Zoo as she observes the various animals loving on their babies. Adorable artwork & super cute rhyming poems to delight readers old & young.
  
  Easily a 5 star book!
  
  Thank you for the opportunity to review the book in exchange for my honest feedback.. I will be snagging the physical copy on release day!
• 
  Sarah Dodds

  Fiona’s book about love at the zoo is fantastic. I loved the rhyming prose and think my first graders would love using this book to studying rhyme. I think it’s a wonderful book when rhythms like Boynton to introduce children from a very young age to the animals they can see at the zoo. Highly recommend!
  
  Thank you to NetGalley and Zonderkidz-Books for making this arc available for me to read and fall in love with ❤️
• 
  MookNana

  Such a lovely, adorable book! Fiona wanders the zoo and learns how other types of animals show their love. Told in verse, this is full of expressive language to build vocabularies and colorful illustrations full of fun detail to hold kids' interest. This would be a good classroom read around Valentine's Day to celebrate love in a sweet, innocent way.
  
  Many thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review!
• 
  Sherry

  I live in Cincinnati, and I fell in love with Fiona before she was born. I have a friend that volunteers at the zoo and had shifts to watch her overnight to watch for a need to get the zookeepers.
  
  It is such a fun, sweet book that show children all the different ways different animals show their love for each other. Teaching that while it is all different in how they show it, they all show love. It's beautifully illustrated and rhymes to keep both adults and children interested.
• 
  Amanda Murphy

  I received an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.
  
  Fiona, Love at the Zoo is a nice addition to the leveled reader series with the same main character. I always love books about mom/dad/baby snuggles. This book in unique in that it focuses on the love in a family, not just between parent and child.