To not let DD read Dear Zoo?

[SantanaLopez]

I am a hormonal and sleep deprived woman under the influence of PFB... but it's really not very nice to send animals back to the zoo, or in fact to keep them there in the first place!

Gosh I'm sure a child would have a perfectly happy childhood without having read dear zoo.

Very amused at the sorrow for your DD

Why are there no female animals? The zoo are going to have problems when they try to breed them.

Thank you usually I'm making gingerbread men with dd today and was going to read her the gingerbread man afterwards. I had completely forgotten about it being eaten by a fox (and tbh don't remember that I ever knew - maybe mum made up a nicer ending!) Anyway thanks for saving me from the nightmares tonight!!

If someone gave my child a pet for christmas I would not be happy. The lion mask or the car will do just fine, thanks.

And ultimately you can only recognise your penguin by its baby? That seems like a flawed system...

DS1 used to love re-enacting The Gingerbread Man with real gingerbread men.

DS1 would merrily play the part of the Fox and gobble the gingerbread men up

My dc loved that book when they were little

Gosh I can still recite that book, my two DDs made me read it on loop during the older baby/young toddler stage. Along with Spot books with flaps.

YABU to have mentioned it as I now have it playing in my brain

The 'That's not my.....' series is missing the book 'That's not my bank account - it's not got enough money in from my rehashed idea'.....

8 years still dd was a toddler and I'm still scarred

Well I was most at santa giving a kitten in the xmas version. How irresponsible. we do like a bit of dear zoo in the ninny household.

YANBU When I was pg with ds 2 (Currently have DC3 in progress) it was DS 1's favourite, I couldn't make it through without blubbing. Luckily DS1 was very diplomatic and started calling it 'the Daddy book, no cry Mummy.' So I wasn't subjected very often. DS 2 however, loves Guess How Much I Love You, but has none of his dbro's empathy.

Has nobody at the zoo considered the return postage costs? My postie would be non too pleased either trying to balance a ruddy great box full of animal on his push bike! Irresponsible!

Loved it, loved it, loved it. Used to all the actions -and noises, (the best was the hissing snake accompanied by a "slithery, snake" - ie my arm tickling the kids til they squealed!) an absolute favourite and I too still remember all the words.

Oh good idea spiral - she would love to be the fox! Might do that tomorrow. Sorry to derail we like dear zoo but also about the scary snake as we has one for years and don't want dd to think they are scary!

"I'm sure if I asked them what happened they wouldn't remember at 23, 20 and 11."

You'd probably be surprised. At 18 and 15, mine can still come up with the next several lines of just about any picture book they liked when they were tiny, given a point to start from.

My DTs are 28 and they remember every word. It was Ds's favourite picture book, closely followed by Peepo!

Nice to know I'm not the only one who changes the snake being scary. I wish I had thought of "slithery" instead of "snakey" though! Not pfb either because I only got the book for number 3!

YY to the PP that there are no female animals. It grates.

I like it though.

Oh God, I've cried for five minutes at the mention of Guess How Much I Love You! (pg hormones but can only just get through it even when not pg)

I routinely change the gender of characters anyway (to make the girls do fun things, usually).

I love Peepo so much, I'm in a phase of readjng it nightly to ds2 and I weep almost every night. I can remember my mum reading it to me :)

I sound like such a sap but Peepo is such a comforting book

kwerty Peepo was my favourite book as a child, I read it to ds2 and dd last night! They love Dear Zoo too, but tbh I have not really thought about the giving it back thing. We did enjoy Dear Santa too!

I implore you emotional weepy types, don't, for the love of all that's holy, introduce Martin Waddell into your houses........

I got a WH Smith voucher from my DDad for my birthday. I think I might have to go and buy Peepo. :) (our Dear Zoo book has been sellotaped back together several times!)