Where's Walrus?

Horn Book (March/April, 2011) A sleeping zookeeper, wide-open gates, a clever walrus -- a slow day at the city zoo is about to get a lot more interesting. In this wordless look-and-find book, the walrus escapes from his small pool and heads out the gates; the now-alert zookeeper immediately sets off in pursuit. But everywhere he looks, from the fountain to the diner, from the construction site to the theater, the walrus is nowhere to be found. Or is he? With the right headgear and attitude, the walrus hides easily in plain sight over and over again. Preschoolers will love being one step ahead of the clueless zookeeper, who doesn't notice the fountain's new mermaid statue or the store mannequin with tusks or the stage dancer with flippers and a tail instead of feet. Savage's stylish digitally created illustrations feature clean shapes, strong lines, and solid blocks of color. The graphically appealing scenes are easy to read, allowing even the youngest viewers an opportunity to interpret the action. The silly search comes to an end at a diving competition, and when the gold-medal winner's swim cap comes off, the poor zookeeper finally gets a clue...and an idea for how to keep the walrus happy and boost zoo attendance. The satisfyingly circular ending gives Where's Walrus? a flipper up on that guy in the striped shirt. kitty Flynn