Getting preschoolers ready for a fun field trip to the zoo? You can start the excitement while still in the classroom! There are many zoo books you can read before the trip that teaches students about zookeepers, animals, and their habitats while exploring how the planet provides what humans and animals need to survive.
What Do You Teach Preschoolers About Zoo Animals?
Before heading to the zoo with your kids you can start introducing them to a variety of animals through fun facts and books. The most basic lesson on animals for toddlers, preschoolers, and kindergarten age kids is identifying the different kinds of animals in the world. By the time kids are preschool age, most will know the difference between different types of pets and a number of other more exotic animals such as gorillas, monkeys, zebras, lions, tigers, bears, and other wild creatures via books.
Animal sounds and habitats also make for entertaining preschool lessons. Dramatic play and animal walks are a great way to start exploring the animal kingdom. At this age kids will also be fascinated to learn about different habitats and biomes, such as how penguins survive in the freezing arctic while camels thrive in the hot desert.
The key to teaching preschoolers about animals is through exploration and play.
Preschool Books About Zoo Animals
There are many books on zoo animals available to preschoolers. We have listed several of our favorites, such as Dear Zoo and 1, 2, 3 to the Zoo by Eric Carle, below. The illustrations on many of these are amazing and definitely a staple to have in any home or classroom!
Read these classic zoo books anytime you want to introduce new animals or before a zoo visit!
What Do You Do If You Work At The Zoo? by Steve Jenkins
In this book, preschoolers meet the people who work hard at the zoo to make sure that animals live happy and healthy lives, even though they aren’t in the wild habitats they’ve evolved for.
The Fascinating Animal Book for Kids: 500 Wild Facts! by Ginjer Clarke
This comprehensive guide to animals is a must-have for animal lovers everywhere. With full color pictures on every page, you'll find weird and wonderful details about mammals, amphibians, insects, birds, and more!
Life At The Zoo by Michael George
This is the perfect book for every budding zoologist and animal-loving kid! Featuring stunning photography, this book provides a glimpse inside the zoo. Children can meet the creatures who live there—and the people who care for them, too. They’ll have so much fun, they won’t even realize how much they’re learning!
Z Is for Zookeeper: A Zoo Alphabet by Marie Smith
This book provides a beautiful peek into the behind the scenes life at the zoo. With vibrant illustrations, fun rhymes, and text that can easily be scaffolded - this is a book for every home and classroom!
Wild About Books by Judy Sierra
Kids will love going on the adventure of finding the perfect book for each animal at the zoo! With fun rhymes and illustrations, this is an awesome book for instilling the love of reading.
Zoo Zen: A Yoga Story for Kids by Kristen Fischer
What could be more fun for kids than to hop like a frog, slither like a snake, and roar like a lion―all while learning an empowering, healthy life skill? This book is is a delightful pose-along adventure for children.
Color Zoo by Lois Ehlert
A simple yet lovely and bold introduction to colors, shapes, and animals for young readers.
My Heart Is Like a Zoo by Michael Hall
This book is full of vibrant colors and animal shapes made entirely from hearts that will make it fun for little ones to explore their emotions in an engaging way.
Good Night, Gorilla by Peggy Rathmann
Kids will love this mischievous gorilla and his nighttime adventures!
My Visit to the Zoo by Aliki
Kids will explore how animals really live through these beautiful illustrations and simple text. This is a beautiful picture book!
Zoo by Gail Gibbons
A lively, behind-the-scenes look at just what it takes to keep a zoo running, perfect for sharing with the youngest zoo-goers.
If Anything Ever Goes Wrong at the Zoo by Mary Jean Hendrick
We absolutely adore the illustrations and silliness of this book. Introduce kids to writing letters using this book by having your young learners write their own letter to the zookeeper after reading!
The View At The Zoo by Kathleen Long Bostrom
This is a fantastic book for exploring point of view! The simple text and vibrant illustrations make this book a must have for young kids!
Zoo Animals by Brian Wildsmith
As children page through this beautiful book, they will learn the names of many animals they meet at the zoo! Each page offers a short description of the featured animal and its habitat.
'Twas the Day Before Zoo Day by Catherine Ipcizade
This book features lots of laughter, bold illustrations, and playful meter. It also includes  picture-word matching exercises, animal fun fact tables, and a zookeeper fact sheet!
Animal Strike at the Zoo. It's True! by Karma Wilson
A rhyming, rhythmic, and lyrical charmer about zoo animals going on strike. All is chaos as the zookeeper must pacify the animals fully highlighting how big of a job a zookeeper has!
Giraffes Can't Dance by Giles Andreae
This is a fantastic book for teaching growth mindset and exploring self confidence with kids. With fun illustrations, simple text, and a valuable lesson, this book is easily one of our family favorites!
Zoo-Looking by Mem Fox
This book is filled with repetitive text that helps a child to master sight words while reading an enjoyable story, the vivid illustrations of the animals give picture clues to the new reader to help them figure out the unknown words, and the rhyme patterns also help develop phonic skills. Perfect for young readers!
1, 2, 3 to the Zoo by Eric Carle
Joyously colored animals, riding on a train to the zoo, offer youngsters a first introduction to numbers, number sets, addition and counting in this classic Eric Carle book.
Dear Zoo by Rod Campbell
And what would a zoo preschool book roundup be without including Dear Zoo?! This classic lift-a-flap- book is a simple and playful introduction to animals for young readers.
Print Out This Zoo Reading Challenge!
Want a printable version of this zoo book list? Snag our editable reading list with reading log coloring pages!
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