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The towering city skyscrapers disappear through the gates of the city zoo. A new world is open to children longing to reach the fantastic animals that came from worlds away. Pieces of the jungles, savannahs and habitats of the world share space with the coldness of modern living.
The Zoo by Suzy Lee is short on story but long on the magic of being a kid at the zoo. The immediate attraction to The Zoo is Lee's artwork. Pastels and colored pencils give texture and depth, a wonderful break from the flat images of many other children's books.
The story follows a little girl who, along with her family, visits many of the popular animals across the zoo. The parents can only see the drab blues and grays that color the streets and city architecture, but the little girl is open to the bursts of colors, plants and animals that leap from the following pages. Lee's artwork seems to literally come alive and give the animals much needed character and depth.
Younger children will love the bounding, prancing, playing animals, but it is the adults who should pay close attention to the book's message. The parents in the story are too consumed with moving along with the day that they miss out on the moments of play with these spectacular creatures, something a child naturally reacts to.
Born in Seoul, Korea, Suzy Lee is an accomplished painter and received an MA in Book Arts from Camberwell College of Arts in London. The Zoo is her first North American release and draws its style from many of her distinctive sketches. Her art has also appeared in magazines, artist organizations and accompanying other writer's books.
Lee's work relies very little on spoken words. The images tell the story, creating a space and time for the reader to take their ideas wherever the want. Hopefully North America will see much more come from this talented individual.
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The Zoo