Doodle a Zoodle
Grade 3-5–Zoodles are animals with double letters in their names, such as jackrabbits, squirrels, and grizzly bears, and this book shows how to draw them. Zemke uses a step-by-step format similar to that in Ed Emberley's drawing books. Each drawing begins with the pair of letters that repeat in the name of the animal. For example, the sketch of an aardvark starts with two printed uppercase letter A's and that of the reindeer, with two uppercase E's. These are combined with numbers, additional letters, lines, and shapes to complete the cartoons. Some drawings are more complex than others. Each new step is clearly denoted in red, and the completed zoodle is shown in full color. The 39 drawings represent mammals, reptiles, insects, sea creatures, and birds. While many will be recognizable to youngsters, others, like the quokka, the meerkat, and the extinct guagga, are likely to be new. The short and sometimes entertaining introduction to each project provides a few interesting characteristics about each animal. Unfortunately, there is no table of contents or index. Children learning to draw and more experienced artists will devour this title. If you can overlook the spiral binding and the possibility of patrons drawing in the book, it's a good choice for all libraries.–Lynn K. Vanca, Akron-Summit County Public Library, Richfield, OHCopyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.