April 8 Is Zoo Lovers Day! Come Find Out What's New at the Zoo...

(I-Newswire) March 31, 2009 - MT. PLEASANT, S.C. (March 31, 2009) – Did you know that the first zoo was built back in 1500 B.C.? Or how about that contemporary zoos, like the ones we see today, were developed when European explorers came to the New World? Zoos have existed for thousands of years… but isn't it time to find out what's new at the zoo? April 8 is Zoo Lovers Day-the perfect opportunity to round up the family for a fun-filled day at the zoo! You can enjoy the sight of monkeys swinging branch to branch, elephants waving their trunks…but what if you and your family don't live near a zoo? Don't fret; Sylvan Dell Publishing is here to help. You can still experience the joy and excitement of spending a day at the zoo without even leaving the house!

What's New at the Zoo?, by Suzanne Slade and illustrated by Joan Waites, is available in the fall of 2009. This book provides an adding animal adventure for young children, giving them the opportunity to put their counting skills to good use. Each page features tons of typical zoo animals, such as peacocks, giraffes, camels… and your child will love flipping each page to count them all! Readers can also learn what zoo keepers actually feed these different animals and what each baby zoo animal is called. Your children will become enthralled with the life-like illustrations of Joan Waites, as she brings the zoo right to your own backyard!

Additionally, there is a "For Creative Minds" section in the back of What's New at the Zoo? that features an animal addition exercise, an addition by column activity, and an animal matching exercise! Can you match the following baby animal descriptions to their adult counterparts? (Answers are at the bottom of the page!)
1) These cubs are about the size of a pet hamster, are blind, and don't have any fur or teeth when born. The mother stays in her cozy den with her baby cubs for about a month. Young cubs drink milk from their mothers. When they are about a year old, cubs begin eating tender leaves from bamboo plants. Later, after their teeth become strong enough to chew, they will also eat the tough bamboo stems.
2) Newborn calves weigh about 250 pounds (113 kg)! These huge babies are able to stand soon after they are born. These calves drink milk from their mothers. When they are a few months old, calves begin to munch on grass. These babies like to follow their mothers wherever they go. They might even suck on their trunks much like young children suck their thumbs!
Find more in the book, hitting shelves mid-summer! What better way to spend Zoo Lovers Day if you can't make it to an actual zoo? Head over to the Sylvan Dell website and preview What's New at the Zoo? at http://www.sylvandellpublishing.com/BookPDFs-Previews/NewZoo-Preview.pdf. How many animals will you find at the zoo?

(Answers: 1) Panda, 2) Elephant)
###
About Sylvan Dell Publishing
Sylvan Dell Publishing in Mt. Pleasant, S.C., is on a mission to excite children's imaginations with artistically spectacular science, math, and nature themed stories. Founded in November of 2004, Sylvan Dell's family has grown to include more than 55 authors and illustrators, in the U.S. and Canada, and 40 titles – honored as finalists or winners of more than 70 book awards. To pre-order Suzanne Slade's What's New at the Zoo? or her other Sylvan Dell title, Animals Are Sleeping, please visit http://www.SylvanDellPublishing.com. You can also visit Suzanne Slade's website at http://www.suzanneslade.com/. Visit the website of illustrator, Joan Waites, at http://www.joanwaites.com/.

Company Contact Information
Sylvan Dell Publishing